A Word About Families
by Maggie Soares
Summary: Cynicism abounds 21 years after we were introduced to the hunt for the 39 clues- and there still is no clear winner. As a new generation begins to search for the clues, 2 contenders stand out- who are they? and more importantly; who are their parents?
1. Chapter 1

**So, not sure if you've noticed, but of matches and stuttering is pretty much on a hiatus, and I'm not sure if I'm even going to continue it. Anyway, this has been in my head for a while now, and I just had to write it. I'm going to try for a double chapter update, because I wanted to make this longer, but I just HAD to end it where I did, because it even gave ME chills XD **

**So I'm not going to say who's point of view this is, and right when you see that she has red hair you'll assume it's Amy. Yeah, it's not XD **

I'm not going to lie; I'm pretty badass.

My red hair is piled on my head, I have glittery earrings on, long gloves too- I went all out. I'm wearing a slinky gown; nothing too sexy, but I don't exactly look frumpy. I'm pretty much the picture of innocence though.

But every person in this room knows that I could kill them.

It's a morbid thought, sure- but I thrive on morbid thoughts; I myself _am _a morbid thought- or at least the product of two morbid thinkers, Cahills in every sense of the word- they've seen the world at it's best, but mostly it's worst.

After all, you can't spell Families without Lies.


	2. Chapter 2

**So you guys had pretty much one main guess at who the mystery girl is, and you would be…. WRONG! Mwahaha, I love tricking people XD**

**Don't flame for the ship, there will be eventual Imy with this, but for now there isn't XD I'm going to, again, not say who her parents are, but I will tell you that you guys were right that she's Amy's daughter, and I thought her name would be what Amy would name her daughter…. Now I'm ready to be flooded with father guesses ;D**

**So, enjoy! :D **

_Posture, careful- oh for god's sake Grace, don't freaking trip!_

I'm walking down the staircase in the new stronghold- a simple task, I've done it before; just never in 4 inch heels, or in a floor-length gown with a train. Try as I might to part with the uncordination my mother gave me; it still manages to find me from time to time, waiting to spring at the worst possible times- like now, for instance.

Most people could simply chalk it up to nerves- I was, after all, about to address a room of 250 extremely deadly people- but I don't get nervous. I've gone head-to-head with the greatest Ekaterina minds out there, out-danced a Janus, and out-ran a Tomas (on the same day, in fact) I'd even broken into a Lucian stronghold. Like my mother, I was unstoppable.

That's not to say I didn't have certain… pressure points, however. My mom never was the best public speaker out there, and we _did_ share DNA. But my father's genes have never failed me before, so I'm told.

Despite my qualms, I managed to make it up to the podium, one of my gloved hands holding the microphone, and I looked out into the crowd. My mother was in the front row, just like if I had been a normal girl at a dance recital or a play- but I think we all know that I'm _not _a normal girl. The crowd is coolly staring back at me, always judging, just like any other day of my life- they've always been hard on me, even my own branch members, just because my mother married outside her branch. I'd been through it all- both branches I technically belong to trying to kill me pretty much every day, and I'm suddenly grateful I'm using the hand that bears my poison ring, a gift from an old friend of my mother's, to hold the mic- that way they can see it; you never can be too careful.

Normally, a sharp look from me can silence even the deadliest of my branch, despite my age- but this was different. I could tell, because someone just blew up the one of the walls.

Re-read that sentence, and you will know why I'm not a normal girl.

People were running around, fighting hand-to-hand, (the fight for the clues had gotten much more violent that when my mother was a child) most of them using parkour or other highly specialized forms of martial arts- this is what they're trained for.

This wasn't exactly the way I had planned this evening to go, but hey, anything to get out of my speech. I hurriedly ripped the bottom of my dress so it now hit me at the knee, cringing slightly as the expensive silk was destroyed forever, and tried to find my mom- you know what they say after all- the family that kicks-ass together, stays together. Or something very close to that.

Normally, my mother would be in the center of the fight, loving every second. But she was immobilized- she looked years younger, like a child that got separated from their parents at the mall. Her eyes were locked on a target behind me, and I quickly spun around to come face to face with the apparent cause of all this.

He couldn't possibly be any older than me, but when you have this much power, age truly is just a number. He was calm and cool, smirking at me- a Lucian, I'd put money on it.

I'm not going to say that I didn't notice how good-looking he was- because, though he was, it really isn't the point. I matched his expression, and calmly walked over to him.

"You're sort of ruining our little get-together", I said with a smirk.

"Really?" He clucked his tongue, "I had only meant to deliver a message", he said in a velvety tone, mock innocence clouding his face before that smirk that was quickly becoming his trademark returned- this guy was good.

"And what might that be?" I said with a tight smile.

"The Lucians will find a way- you should probably stop now; I wouldn't want to see a pretty little thing like you get hurt"

Ya, he actually said that.

"Leave, Benjamin- tell your father we get the message, and that we're all waiting for him."

The boy (Benjamin?) looked somewhat unnerved that my mom knew his name, but he quickly recovered, and smiled- he looked like an angel, but I already knew better.

"Will do" and with that he snapped his fingers, and he and his backup left without another word.

I looked over at my mom, curious.

"How did you know his name?"

She looked surprised to see me there, as if she had forgotten that I existed.

"That was his favorite" she said in a quiet voice, like nothing I've ever heard her say before- the little girl was back again, and I wanted her to go away.

But more importantly, I _really _wanted to hurt this Benjamin guy. Like, a lot.


	3. Chapter 3

**There's a really long story about why I haven't updated in forever, but I'm sure you don't care, so I'm just going to go ahead and continue the story :D**

**I'm surprised nobody's guessed Grace's father- most of the guesses for Benjamin's dad were absolutely right, so good for you guys XD**

**Shout-out to LucianWriter77, for guessing most of the plot XD**

**More background and Grace's Dad! :D**

**WARNING- BOOK 7 AND UP SPOILERS (this includes number 9!)**

GRACE POV

The nervous woman who I refuse to believe is my mother led me up the stairs to my uncle Dan's house- a huge building that used to be an apartment complex before Dan bought out the whole thing. She pressed the buzzer for apartment 39, which, along with providing Dan with endless amusement ("39! Get it? This is freaking sweet!"), served as his main house. The clicking sound meant that the cameras that surrounded the building had turned on, and Dan's bodyguard Matt was watching us.

Matt's voice came over the speaker.

"Password?" he droned.

My mom rolled her eyes "that's just like him," she muttered

"That's not the password!" Dan's voice sang

"Fine," she said, and thought for a second before answering "Sap Sword"

Dan snorted. "Come on in!"

The door unlocked and my mom and I slipped inside, stopping at every door for Dan to unlock them- he takes security _very_ seriously. When we finally got into the front room, which basically looked like a mall security center with lasers, Dan walked over and gave us each a massive hug- we hadn't seen him in at least a year.

"To what do I owe the honour, you two?" he asked with a smile that quickly faded when he noticed the state my mom was in.

"Let's go downstairs to talk about it." He said in a quieter voice, nodding at Matt to unlock the doors.

The basement of the apartment complex used to be a crap exercise room- a couple of treadmills, and a corner with weights and a yoga ball. Dan wouldn't stand for it.

The walls are steel-plated for protection, decorated with Dan's sword collection. There's a full-sized wrestling ring in the center of the room, and all over, beanbag chairs are scattered so you could "flop down where ever the heck you want!"

This is exactly what Dan told us to do, and my mom ghosted over to the mini bar and got something to drink that I'm sure had a high alcohol level. She walked into a corner and sat down away from Dan and I.

"So what happened?" he asked.

"We were at the opening for the new joint stronghold- we got the Janus to see reason, and opened a safe place for all the branches." Dan smiled at this; he quit the hunt after I was born, but likes to stay informed. "Evidently, the Lucian's aren't the biggest fan of safe places or, like, happiness or something, because they broke into it right before my speech."

"Who actually broke in?" Dan asked, worry lines appearing on his forehead.

"Some kid with his army of muscled-up backup. But what was weird was I think my mom knew him- she knew his name, anyway"

"Benjamin" he said solemnly.

"Yes!" I said, "Why is it that everyone knows this kid except for me?"

"I never knew him," Dan said, "I just knew that was his name. Dark skin, brown hair, smirk that makes you want to punch him?"

"Yeah..."

"Figures Kabra genes are dominate."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Let me tell you a story." He said with a sad smile. "You've probably never heard about it, because you're mom doesn't like talking about it, but you're old enough to know.

When your mom was 14 and I was 11, our grandmother died."

"Grace." I said, hand going to the jade necklace my mom gave me for my 14th birthday.

Dan smiled.

"Yes, Grace. She was all Amy and I had- our parents died when we were young."

"Like my dad." I said, eyes cast down.

"Yes, like your dad- now stop interrupting and let me have my dramatic monologue.

At her funeral, a video played, showing Grace talking about the hunt- your mom and I gave up 2 million dollars to join. We had no money, no friends in the race, and no way to get anywhere. We had an Au Pair, Nellie, who ended up carting us around.

Nobody thought that we would be any trouble to eliminate, but after we had a few clues under our belt, everyone thought a bit differently. Teams started working extra hard to kill us, some sneakier than others."

I knew all of this already, but I let him talk.

"The Kabras were the branch leaders of the Lucians- they still are, but now their children do most of the work. Ian was 14, like Amy, and Natalie was my age- 11. They were nothing like us though- already cold and hard from years of the hunt, willing to do whatever it took to win. They forged an alliance with us, and Amy fell hook, line, and sinker for Ian- I really thought he felt the same, I saw them kiss when they thought nobody was watching." He took a deep breath.

"When the clue took us to a cave, Ian and Natalie left us to die inside it. We managed to escape, but your mom was never really the same.

_We_ made the alliances after that, and we made one with the Holts, a Tomas family who we thought were too stupid to ever pull one over on us, and we were right except for one thing- we never thought Hamilton Holt would be such an awesome guy.

Ham and Amy were just friends at first, but then I started noticing how she would call him for help with things we could have figured out for ourselves, simple things we had done before. When I asked her about it, she denied it, but I could see her becoming confused. Hamilton started chasing after her, but he knew she would never really fall out of love with Ian, and eventually he gave up.

Jonah Wizard, another clue hunter Amy's age, dropped out of the hunt. Cora Wizard, the leader of the Janus branch, was his mother, and seeing that gave Ian the courage to apologize to your mom."

I had met Jonah and Cora Wizard a few months ago, to finalize the stronghold plans- Jonah had rejoined. I had never heard of Ian Kabra as anything but the leader of the Lucians, never someone who would apologize.

"I told her not to forgive him- once a rat, always a rat, right? But she couldn't stay away, and he had her again. They loved each other very much- the prospect of marriage and a family was always something they were talking about, even though they were young- Ian always insisted that, if they were to have a baby boy, his name would be Benjamin."

_That was his favourite_

" They were both so happy for a while, but then Isabel Kabra found out.

Isabel Kabra is the worst of the very worst- I hope you never have to meet her. She will kill you and feel absolutely nothing- she's done it before. She demanded Ian leave your mom, and once she threatened him enough, he did it. She set him up with a promising Lucian girl, and forced them into marriage a year later. Amy was absolutely crushed- she was 17 at this point."

A year older than me- I could never picture that happening to me now, or ever, for that matter.

"After that, Hamilton Holt came back into your mom's life. He was the best thing for her; he made her forget everything that happened."

I smiled- my dad was a good guy. I don't remember him, but I'm proud I'm his and not Ian's.

"When she was 19, your mom found out that she was pregnant. Immediately all the branches set out to find her- no Cahill had been born from two branches knowingly before. She spent 8 and a half months in this room, waiting it out- people have been trying to kill you since before you were born, Grace."

"8 and a half?" I questioned wanting to change the subject.

"At that point, we were going to make the trip to Russia, to hide out in a Madrigal stronghold there. When we were just taking off, Amy's water broke. She spent the entire flight in labour, and had you when we made an emergency landing in Sao Miguel, an island in the Azores. It was like you knew what was going on, that you needed to cooperate- you didn't cry at all. Your father got to hug and kiss you once before he died."

"How did he die?" I asked. My mom would never tell me.

Dan took a breath to compose himself.

"When we took off from the airport in Sao Miguel, a Lucian informant called Isabel Kabra, telling her where we were and where we were headed. Your parents had thought of this, and decided to take separate planes- your mom, you, and me in one, and Ham, his sister Madison, and Nellie in another."

"Oh God." I whispered. I knew where this was going.

Dan continued on grimly. "Isabel was staying in her house in Spain at the time she got the call. She got reinforcements and hit the skies. Your mom and dad were talking on the radios right before, and agreed to go separate ways- your dad knew that it was a suicide mission, and so did Madison and Nellie- but they had already fallen in love with you, and they needed to protect you. They said goodbye on the radios, both of them crying so hard Nellie had to take the wheel of the plane. Hamilton said he wasn't crying because he was about to die, but because he was about to die, and Amy was crying. He told her that she had a beautiful girl to look after now, a girl that had his eyes and his ears, and if that wasn't enough, than what more do you need? He made her laugh until the very end. He said goodbye to you, too- he told you that he was proud of you for doing all the amazing things he knew you would do, and he called you beautiful so many times- the times that he would miss. One for your first date, one for your first heartbreak, your first dance, your wedding day. Amy made us leave for a second, and she said her final goodbyes. I don't know what she said to him, but she was shaking and pale after. She ripped the microphone off its cord and slept the rest of the flight, making me take over. She held you and refused to let you go.

The other plane was gunned down over the ocean, and the police found the bodies after a few weeks' search. There were no survivors."

I was crying now, and Dan looked as if he was about ready to start too. I walked over to my mom, who was holding a bottle of Tequila and staring down at the floor. She wasn't drunk yet, but I had to take that bottle away from her soon.

"He said 'I love you' 365 times. I don't know how he did it, but he did. One for every day of the year, he said. The last thing he said to me was 'I'm so glad you just had a Grace, not a Benjamin. I love you so much.' I didn't know that he knew about that. And then the Benjamin I never had, the same age as you, talking to you- it reminded me that I would never have a Benjamin, not one with your eyes, or your ears." She laughed sadly.

I hugged her, stealthily taking the tequila from her.

"It'll be ok, mom."

And it will be, if I have anything to do about it.

Next time Benjamin Kabra Sees me, he will receive one swift kick to his manhood.


	4. Chapter 4

**Apparently I made people cry! That is so amazingly awesome- if you didn't cry, and want to, I suggest reading the last chapter while listening to 'it's Gonna be hard (when I'm gone)' by the Audition. For the start of this chapter, any Skye Sweetnam works fine, but especially Baby Doll Gone wrong x) **

**Hopefully this one won't make you cry- it's more lighthearted… well it is 'till the end, but then it gets sad again XD**

GRACE POV

I am in an unbelievable amount of trouble right now.

Like, think of the most trouble you've ever been in. Then multiply that by the amount of trouble Kanye West was in with eleven-year-old girls after the VMA's, and you're _just _starting to see the tip of the iceberg. So yeah, it's pretty serious.

Right now I'm sitting opposite Dan in his office (it's just a room with a computer, but calling it an office makes him feel special). He's staring at me, and I'm staring right back at him- this has been going on for about 10 minutes. He's blinked all of 26 times, and has opened his mouth to say something 4- all 4 times he closed his mouth right away.

I guess you want to know why I'm in so much trouble, and why _Dan _of all people is the one bringing the hammer down, so I'll tell you.

After Uncle Dan told me that story, not only was I shocked that someone could do that (and this is coming from a 16-year veteran of the 39 clues), I was also terrified that she was free to do as she pleased, out of the mental ward where she belonged. And that got me thinking about Benjamin, and how we could have been siblings. I bet he just _loves _Grandma Isabel; she can probably do no wrong for him. I mean, come on- they're _Lucians_. They do anything to hide things that may not be the best for their reputations. It's like _'Oh, the Holocaust? Well it's not OUR fault! Jeez, it's so obviously the Ekats' fault, for inventing all those horrible machines!' _Shared blame Lucians, shared blame.

Anyway, I was thinking about how _I _would want to know if my grandma was a cold-hearted killer, and then I was thinking about how awesome it would be if the Madrigals could manage to unite the Lucians, and maybe Ian Kabra could finally stand up to his mommy and be a man and apologize to my mom. And _no, _this has nothing to do with that little flutter I had in my gut when I knew that Benjamin and I were in no way related, because I'm choosing to ignore that flutter, as flutters can lead to other things, and I don't want _other things _with a Kabra.

So basically I hacked the Lucian's database (it's easier than it sounds once you're used to it- knowing the passwords helps too) and found out the Kabra's were in Maine. What could possibly be in Maine that's so important to the Lucian's is beyond me, but I can't help but picture Isabel sitting in some quaint summer home, stitching a sampler. Of course, she'd probably take the needle for the sampler and stick it in a cute little bunny's eye, but the image still remains.

Now I totally know what you're thinking- _Grace, you freaking idiot! You're going to go ALONE to the house of one of the world's most feared killers? I have just lost all respect for you._

But HA, because that wasn't my plan at all!

Well yeah, it was my plan. But not for long! I realized how stupid I was pretty darn quickly, and gave up. But it made me upset that I didn't get to stare a killer in the eye today (again, not a normal kid), so I went to Starbucks, to see if it could cheer me up. I know a lot of people hate Starbucks for being so expensive and commercial, but I like it- it makes me happy, in a weird way, that everyone can buy their ten dollar coffee and sit in big plush chairs. Does that make sense? Probably not.

I was sitting in the aforementioned big plush chair, people-watching, when the door opened. I turned around lazily to assess the new customer, and who should happen to walk in but a _dead ringer _for Benjamin Kabra. I dribbled some of my drink onto my shirt, I'll admit, but it turned out it _wasn't _Benjamin, it was just some guy that looked like him. _However, _I turned back around, and was that stupid British ninja, sitting in the chair across from me, drinking- I kid you not- tea. This guy tries way too hard, I swear.

"Hello again." He said with that stupid smirk. Stupid smirk.

"Hey, Stalker."

I crossed my legs and took a sip of my drink.

"So what brings you to this neck of the woods?" I asked. "Thought you and your pearl of a family were in Maine."

He smirked (again)

"I see you've done your research- the Lucian passwords _are_ quite easy, aren't they?"

Oops.

"It's ok" he continued. "I won't tell if you won't."

"What won't I tell?" I asked, wanting to kill myself for the fact that I could feel my face getting redder by the minute.

He grinned and held up some car keys.

"I'm not technically allowed to have these," he said, "but driving a car that doesn't come out for a year is _extremely _enjoyable"

"I'm sure it is" I allowed, smiling tightly.

He looked falsely surprised. "Oh but Grace, you can't tell me you've never done that."

"Piss off," I said, his demeanor finally getting on my nerves.

He got off his chair and perched on the arm of mine.

"Would you like to try it?" he asked, "we could go for a ride- just another thing we can keep just between us."

I snorted. "Yeah, and if I just _Happen _to tell you all of the Ekat and Janus secrets, that won't be too bad either."

"Well it wouldn't hurt" he said with a smile.

"I bet not." I rolled my eyes.

"Ok, so no joy-ride then." He said, leaning closer to me- something I did _not _approve of, just for the record. "We can find something else to do, right?"

And do you know what I did?

I talked to the guy. Like, actually talked to him for almost half an hour. This kid is one seriously repressed British ninja. He seemed so happy just to be able to talk to someone that wasn't trying to kill him (though I'll admit, I came up with 4 ways to do it with my coffee stirrer, just in case) that he didn't care who it was. I found that really sad, especially because he didn't seem to notice how starved for conversation he was, like it was normal not to talk to people. I wasn't paying attention to much else (_not _in a creepy 'I only have eyes for you' thing, thank you very much) and so it came as quite a surprise to me when Dan stormed in, grabbed me by the arm, and pulled me out into his car (which, if you're wondering, is a Volkswagen bug, just because he's that cool). Benjamin seemed pretty freaked out- heck, we both were- but he composed himself, got into his stolen car, and drove away in the other direction.

Dan refused to talk or look at me the entire drive, which was ok with me, because I needed the time to figure out what I was going to say.

And now here we are, back at the start. Dan still hasn't said anything, and he's still staring me down. I opened my mouth to say something, but Dan decided _that _was a good time to start his tirade.

"Are you really that stupid?" he asked.

Ouch. Well that stung just a touch.

"Going out, telling nobody where, and when I go to Starbucks to see if you're there, I see you with _Benjamin Kabra?_ Grace, even _you _have to know how idiotic that was." He continued.

"It's not like we were even doing anything!" I argued. "That kid hadn't talked to someone his age in forever, his stupid parents won't let him!"

Dan calmed a bit before he spoke.

"Jonah Wizard." He said reluctantly

"What about Jonah Wizard?"

"Jonah and I were friends for a while, during the hunt, before your mom and I knew about the Madrigals. He was completely limited in everything he did, all because of his mother."

"What is it with mothers in this stupid hunt anyway?" I asked, my voice raising.

"I thought I told you a bit about a certain mother the other day." Dan said. "Did that not make a big enough impression on you? I don't care if Benjamin is any different- Ian was too- but in the end, Isabel will destroy both of them, so don't try."

"Isabel didn't even know I was talking to Benjamin!" I yelled

"We didn't think Isabel knew where we were going 16 years ago, but she did. She did, and that's 3 more people dead because of her." He was silent for a moment, but then he cringed and put his head in his hands.

"What?" I asked warily.

"She never told me." He mumbled, his head still down. "If she had told me, I wouldn't have let her go, not ever."

Benjamin Kabra was in an unbelievable amount of trouble.

He knew what he was supposed to do- grandmother said Grace would be at Starbucks- it would be easy to get to know her and eventually learn some fun facts about the branches she was allied with. He didn't, however, count on finding common ground with Grace. It's not that he liked her 'like that', to use stupid terms, but she was entertaining to talk to- intelligent with just enough of a sense of humor to be enjoyable. There was something else, too, but he couldn't put his finger on it quite yet.

"Benjamin, do you think I can trust you with this branch after death comes to claim me if you can't handle getting information from a 16-year-old girl?" Grandmother asked, that eerie calm in her voice as always.

To be honest, Benjamin couldn't exactly picture death coming to claim Grandmother- if death tried, death would be kicked in a sensitive spot, no doubt.

"I'm sorry Grandmother." Benjamin said with his head hanging down, "I won't do it again."

"I know you won't." Isabel said, "Because you are not to associate with Grace Cahill any longer."

At the mention of Grace's name, Ian Kabra's head perked up. He looked upset at something Benjamin couldn't place.

As Isabel took her leave, Ian moved over to sit in her place- Benjamin knew better than to move.

"Grace _Cahill?_" Ian asked.

"Yes?" Benjamin said, but it came out more like a question.

"Red hair, stubborn as anything?" Ian asked.

"Yeah…" Benjamin said, surprised.

Ian laughed sadly and nodded.

"Tell me one thing." He said.

"What?" Benjamin asked.

"What color are her eyes?"

Benjamin was confused, but he answered anyway.

"Blue, I think."

Ian nodded and left the room.

"What didn't who tell you?" I asked

Dan looked like he was going to burst into tears at any moment, not a face I was used to him making.

"Remember the story I told you the other day?" he asked.

"Of course." I said. No Dan, I totally forgot- why would he even ask that?

"I told you Isabel killed your father," he continued, "but I didn't say what happened after, when the police found the bodies.

"About a week later, I was asked to come to the medical examiner's office. I wasn't sure why, but I did it anyway. The woman who led the team of examiner's sat me down and said that she was sorry I had to come, but nobody else from the family was available. She said how sorry she was for our loss, that this was just a routine follow-up. She had me go through all of the features of all of the people Isabel killed that day, but when we got to Madison, she mentioned something different."

'Something different' with my family could mean many different things, so this was concerning.

"Madison was pregnant when she died." Dan said.

"And it was mine."


	5. Chapter 5

**Yeah yeah, sorry I haven't updated, blah blah blah- here's 2,515 words of chapter to make up for it. XD**

Benjamin Kabra was bored.

_And not a lazy bored,_ he thought sourly, _more like a_ _'What-On-God's-Green-Earth-Could-I-Possibly-Do-Right-Now-'sort of bored._ Which is not a situation most people his age face often, especially not a _Kabra _his age. At any moment he could say the word and be flown to any location on the planet, he could meet any person he wanted to meet, he could do anything he could want to do, but for some reason, it didn't seem fulfilling. Normally, he would be delighted that his new crop of polo horses had arrived, or that his father had been dropping hints that a certain very expensive car may be a part of his future, but it wasn't enough. The horses were magnificent, and the car was the best money could buy, but it _wasn't enough. _He knew he was perpetuating the stereotype that followed him wherever he went, that of being the spoiled rich kid, but he knew; try as he might to deny it, that it was different. He had never asked for anything more than he already had, because A. Anyone would be hard-pressed to find something he didn't have, and B. He never knew there _was _anything else to have. He never knew before how content you could be just sitting in a crap coffee shop, talking away the background noise. He never knew that you could _enjoy _the company of someone, instead of simply tolerating it. He never knew that if you ripped off the top of the paper wrapper on a straw, and blew through the other end, the paper would fly through the air, eliciting delighted laughter from the person who instructed him to do it in the first place.

He never knew _her._

...

We probably would have been friends.

No, I know we would have been friends. That baby would have only been a few months younger than me. We would have grown up together; we would have been _best _friends. Isabel Kabra took away my father, and now I found out she killed my cousin and aunt too. And you know, that doesn't quite sit right with me. Call me quirky.

Normally I go by the phrase 'the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree'- a motto that pays off often when you're a Cahill. But I do know that sometimes people are different. A half-hour with Benjamin, and I already knew that about him; he was different, almost naive. Don't get me wrong, he knows that the clue hunt is horrible and bloody and a matter of life and death, but he doesn't know anything about his own family. I tried to shift the subject to his _joy _of a grandmother when we were talking, but all I gathered was that he knew she was dangerous. I don't think he knows just _how _dangerous. And this poor, socially awkward kid is going to blindly follow her until _he _becomes a murderer, just like his grandma. So that's why I'm currently driving a car that you can't _really _call 'stolen', because it's Dan's and it's not like I hotwired it or anything. I've taken it upon myself to help him realize that respecting your elders isn't always the best idea, and hey, I might even earn some respect of my own if I organize a Lucian treaty. It's a long shot, but even if it doesn't work, he _has _to take notice of Isabel after. And no, that flutter that I talked about before has nothing to do with this, because even though I know now that he isn't as... Kabra-y as I thought he was flutters equal distractions, and I can't have any distractions. Not now, not ever.

I parked my... 'Acquired' car a distance away from their house, stumbling around in the dark to find my outfit of choice- a black cat suit, complete with feet, black gloves, and to top it all off, a black hood that covered my entire face- if I was doing this, I was doing it right.

I'd love to be able to tell you how easy it was to get through the minefield that is the Kabra family backyard, but that would be lying, and I try to refrain from that unless necessary. It was damn hard, and it got harder when, after I _finally _made it to the house, I realized that I had no idea which room was Benjamin's. There was one room with a light on, and I figured either it was Isabel, who had already seen me and was waiting for the prime opportunity to attack, but after waiting for a couple minutes, I decided it was worth a try to climb up there, because if someone wasn't using their window to spy on/find me, it was probably Benjamin's window.

Once I managed to climb up to the window (and peek in to make sure it _was _Benjamin's room), I could set out the plan I came up with before I got here. I quickly tied up his hands and legs, praying he was a heavy sleeper. At the last moment, I tied up his mouth, so that he wouldn't scream when I woke him up. I leaned over him and whispered quietly into his ear.

"Benjamin. Benjamin, wake up."

I heard what was probably nothing but it could have been something, so I raised my voice as loudly as I dared.

"Benjamin-wake-up-wake-up-wake-up-we-need-to-go-right-now!" coupled with a little shake.

He snored a little and rolled over. Really?

I crouched over so that I was leaned right over his face. I put my hand firmly over his mouth, and kneed him in the ribs. His eyes flashed open and he abruptly sat up. I sat in his lap to keep him down (To. Keep. Him. Down. Got it?) and pressed harder on his mouth. With my free hand I took off my hood to show him my face.

"It's just me. Are you going to scream?" I asked calmly.

He shook his head and I let go of his mouth.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded, a smidge too loud for my liking.

"Shh!" I whispered fiercely, "I'm doing you a favour here, Kabra!"

"Oh of course, a _favour. _Now when do I start benefiting from it? Or is waking up with you sitting on my lap all I get?"

I'd forgotten that I was on his lap, so I got up quickly and untied him.

"We are going to have an adventure tonight, Benjamin. We are going to live like normal teenagers who have no idea about the clue hunt. We're going to sneak into a club with a fake I.D., and we are going to have many wacky shenanigans. Clear?"

He look at me like I was insane (I probably was, but that's not the point), but he got up anyway.

"And why," he asked, bemusedly, "do these 'wacky shenanigans' have to occur at 3 in the morning?"

I sighed. "Benjamin, Benjamin." I said, shaking my head, "Don't you know that 84% of wacky shenanigans occur at 3 in the morning?"

"84%, huh?"

"Oh yes. It's a fact."

"Well then I guess we better get going."

I grinned and ran into his closet, pulling out a shirt at random.

"Put this on" I said, my voice muffled by the closet door as I threw the shirt at him. I dug through the shelves of clothes, still not finding what I was looking for.

"Benjamin," I started to say before turning around to face him and realizing that A. He was not wearing a shirt, and B. Whatever training Lucian kids go through, it does the body good.

_Well hello there, flutter. It's been too long._

I shook my head to clear it, and finished my sentence, making sure to look in his eyes. (Because that's where one is supposed to look in a conversation. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was shirtless.)

"Benjamin, do you _own _a pair of jeans?"

He looked confused, then embarrassed.

"Erm... not exactly, no."

My jaw dropped down to the floor.

"We are getting you jeans, Benjamin Kabra, mark my words, but we don't have time to get them now. Go put on your fruity dress pants and let's just go. You disgust me." I said, but I smiled after, softening it. It was disgusting though- what 16 year old guy didn't own _jeans, _for the love of God? It's just not right.

After we made it down from Benjamin's window, we did what was most natural for a Cahill- we ran like hell. We jumped into the car, and sat there panting for a while.

"Unzip me." I demanded. Benjamin looked fairly shocked, so I clarified. "I have clothes on under this, Benjamin, calm down."

Looking a bit _too _relieved, Benjamin unzipped the back of the cat suit, and I disentangled myself out of it. I reached in the glove compartment and pulled out a necklace, and I was ready. I started the car and zoomed onto the highway.

We drove in silence for a while, until Benjamin broke it.

"I don't suppose you're planning on telling me where we're going, do you?" he asked.

"Nope!" I replied happily.

"Do you do this often?"

Damn.

"Not... Not _that _often. Just sort of when I need to get away from the hunt, y'know?"

"Yeah."

The silence returned for a few more minutes, but this time I was the one to break it.

"Truth or Dare?" I asked.

"Beg pardon?" Benjamin looked at me, confused.

"You have got to be frigging kidding me, Kabra- give me _something _to work with here! Pick one, and you will either have to answer a question, or do something."

"All you needed to say." He said curtly. "Dare."

I knew he would pick dare- Lucians aren't exactly known for honesty.

"Lick the floor." I said with an evil smirk.

Benjamin raised his eyebrows.

"That can't be hygienic."

"Probably not- that's what makes it _so _entertaining for me!" I cackled.

Benjamin squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head to the ground. His tongue darted out, licked it, and he abruptly sat back up, wiping his tongue on his shirtsleeve.

"You are vile." He announced.

"That may be. However, I am awesome, _and _I am giving you teenage experiences, so you should really be thanking me."

"Yes, Thank you, Grace, for forcing me to get dirt on my _tongue. _I will be forever in your debt."

"Well, at least you have the sarcasm part of being a teenager down."

"Are we there yet?"

"We will get there when we get there!"

"Where is there?"

"Right here." I said with an innocent smile.

"This is a club." He stated.

"Indeed it is, Benjamin.

"We're underage."

"That's why I took the liberty of making us fake I.D.s- it's a hobby, keeps me off the streets."

"So you _do _do this often"

I ignored him and led the way into the club. The bouncer never gives me any trouble anyway, because he's a Tomas- the first branch the Madrigals united.

Inside the club, music was blaring, and it wasn't very good music. Cheap beer was being spilled everywhere, and it was a generally sweaty, smelly place.

I loved it.

Here, nobody was a Cahill. Nobody was thinking about how to kill me, or if I was trying to kill _them. _We were all a bunch of random people, here to kill a Friday night.

I went over to the bar and, flashing my fake I.D., got drinks for Benjamin and me.

"Who's going to drive home?" he asked.

"Good point." I said before downing the rest of my drink, and taking Benjamin's untouched one for myself.

"I'll drive." He stated.

...

"Do you know what the problem with the Lucians is, Benny-Boy?" I asked, and then giggled at my new nickname. Ok, I was _way _too drunk right now.

"What's that?"

"They're the fat kid at the water park." I stated, dead serious.

Benjamin raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

I sighed and explained.

"You know how when you go to a water park, there's a section of it that's basically a jungle gym with water spraying out of it? And there's jets and stuff that spray up and all the little kids flock to it? Well, there's always that one chubby kid that sits on the jets, and just doesn't move. They sit there, all day. Sometimes they roll around a bit, too. Nobody knows why they sit on the jets, and all the little kids have to move around them. The Lucians are like that- slowing things down, because they insist on being the fat kid at the water park. Everyone else joined up with the Madrigals, and we're living in relative peace right now, except for the Lucians- the fat kids at the water park." I nodded intently after I said this.

"Okay, you're quite drunk, aren't you?"

I was a little put-out that he didn't even comment on my awesome fat kid metaphor, but I did have to agree- I was quite drunk.

And that's how I ended up drinking obscene amounts of coffee, sitting in the passenger seat of Dan's car at 5 in the morning.

I was sober enough now, but I was never going to get to sleep after this.

"I'm sorry." I said quietly.

"What for?" Benjamin asked.

"We were going to have an adventure, and I went all Lindsay Lohan on you."

"That was the best adventure I've ever had, I promise you that Grace."

I laughed, and then shivered. Because it was late (or early, I guess), it was _freezing _in the car. Benjamin wordlessly passed over his jacket.

"Well aren't you a chivalrous little Kabra." I noted with a smile.

"I try." He remarked dryly.

After a semi-comfortable pause, I said "let's play a game."

"Not truth or dare again." Benjamin said.

"No, not truth or dare. More like just truth. For the next 10 minutes, everything we say has to be true. You can say anything, and we'll go right back to normal after. I read it in a book, it seemed fun. Deal?"

He hesitated, but eventually gave in. "Deal."

I smiled. "Ok, ten minutes starting... now!"

"My favourite color is green." He said.

"When I was little I wanted to be a ballerina."

"I hate eggs."

"My father died the day I was born."

He stopped for a second and looked at me for a long time, wasting 2 minutes.

"I want to kiss you." He said quietly.

"I'd probably let you." I said even more quietly.

He leaned in, slowly at first, but then it looked like he made up his mind and closed the distance.

The kiss itself was slow and nervous, the last thing you would expect from a Kabra, but at the same time it made sense. That flutter was now a full-out palpitation, and I'm not even going to deny it.

"How much longer?" Benjamin whispered after.

I checked my watch.

"Time's up."


	6. Chapter 6

**So I sign on to my email only to find 9 lovely reviews from you guys! Thank you all so so so so SO much! :D It's also really cool, because as I'm writing this, I have 39 reviews on this, so I found that funny. xD just a warning to you, the next few chapters are going to be more dark, and I'll really be taking advantage of the T rating on this, language and content wise. Don't worry; I'm not going to go all Lemony-fresh on you or anything, but just a heads up that this is going to deal a bit with alcoholism and a non-descriptive rape attempt. No need to panic, but there's a close call- just so you guys know before you read this chapter. I'm stating it right here, in bold print, so if you decide to review flame me for it, you'll just look stupid. Ok, moving on- here's chapter 6!**

**(sorry, one more thing- credit for the rhino metaphor goes to my friend Becky. And this chapter is dedicated to my friend Emily, or Emzilla101, who has a Harry Potter fic right now. If you're in to that kinda stuff, GO THERE NOW! :D Ok, shameless friend promotion done, here's the chapter!) **

It wasn't until I got home that I realized two things:

One, although I had the perfect opportunity to, I never actually ended up telling Benjamin about Isabel, and Two, Oh My God, I Kissed Benjamin Freaking Kabra.

I. Kissed. Benjamin. Kabra.

Holly shit.

So now I was mentally berating myself, because not only did I not get the information I needed, I became _very _drunk in front of this guy who up until a week ago was my enemy, and that ended in a coffee-flavoured kiss.

Good lord, _a coffee-flavoured kiss? _I sound like Christofer Drew Ingle.

It was times like this where I really wished I had a friend that I could talk to about things like this- I had friends that I've met at concerts and stuff, and I know a lot of kids from a lot of branches, but I'm not that close with anyone but my mom and Dan. I think they've made it pretty darn clear that I shouldn't be talking about my Benjamin Kabra issues with them. And this takes me full circle, back to Isabel and, eventually, Benjamin. If she hadn't decided that she was going to murder people that day, I would have had my cousin to talk to, and that brings me back to that minor detail of telling Benjamin that his Grandmother has murdered people in cold blood. Specifically, my father, aunt, and cousin.

But, as it was Saturday, and I was still nursing a hangover, I figured I could wait a day or two to tell him about that minor detail. (That, and the fact that I'm not sure I want to face him after The Kiss.)

Which is why now, I'm sitting in my room with music playing _very _loudly, (but my room's soundproof, and it's classical, so if she was home, my mom probably wouldn't mind anyway) sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, reading. A private moment with Grace Cahill.

"You realize that there is a perfectly good couch right behind you, right?"

Well, that just gave me a _freaking heart attack. _Thank you, stupid British ninja.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I screamed.

He smirked, "Not as fun when you're on the receiving end of things, is it?"

"How did you even get up here? This place is harder to get into than Area 51!"

"You forget, Grace," he said, "that I_ have _broken into Area 51. Multiple times."

"That still doesn't explain _why _you're here!"

"Oh, so you can break into my room in the middle of the night and expect me to just go along with whatever you have planned, but I can't stop by for a visit?"

"Not during daylight hours you can't!" I exclaimed. "Do you know who could walk in my room right now? Anyone! Any person could walk in this room right this very second, and do you know how much shit the both of us will get into? A lot. A lot a lot."

"Grace, I think the both of us know that neither your mother nor your uncle is here right now."

Damnit.

"That aside," I said, "what are you doing here?" changing the subject.

"Well," he drawled, taking a seat on the couch behind me, "since you aren't going to put this delightfully comfortable couch to good use, the job goes to me."

"So you came here to sit on my couch? How long have you been stalking me to know about my couch, Kabra?" ok, banter- this is good. It's not awkward yet, let's keep it that way.

"Never pegged you for a kiss fan." He said suddenly.

Ah, there's the awkward we've been looking for.

"Wh-What?" I stuttered out. Ah, eloquence, you truly are a lost art.

He looked confused at my stricken face, then it dawned on him, and he looked equally panicked.

"The song." He stated awkwardly, gesturing towards my iPod, where 'Beth' by KISS was playing.

"Oh!" I gasped out, relieved. "Well, what's not to love?"

"Right."

Worldwide, people are cringing, but they don't know why. This is just bad.

"Is there another reason you're here?" I asked. "You know, the _real _reason?"

"Yes, actually." He brightened, "It appears that you stole my jacket last night."

Oh.

"Um, what jacket?" I asked, stalling. "I don't recall the stealing of any articles of clothing."

"Bull. That's like me finding a giant pile of crap on the floor, and my pet rhino saying he didn't do it."

"Wow. That was quite the metaphor."

"Well, if there's anything I learned last night, Grace," he said, smirking at me, "it's that you appreciate metaphors."

I turned bright red, ducking into my closet to find him the jacket.

I retrieved it from the very back corner of my closet, where I had hid it last night, and brought it back for him. I handed it over and he got up and opened my window to leave.

"Wait." I said, acting on autopilot. Benjamin raised an eyebrow; _yes? _

"Um, you were right." I said. "My mom isn't home, and nobody's going to come over. So, um, you could stay if you wanted to. I need to tell you something, anyway."

He just nodded, and sat back down on my couch.

"What do you need to tell me?" he asked quietly.

I took a deep breath.

"Last night, I told you my father died the day I was born."

He nodded.

"I didn't tell you _how _he died."

"How did he die?" he asked. It didn't seem like he knew why I was taking the conversation this way, but he was listening, at least.

I closed my eyes; I didn't want to see his face when I told him.

"He was flying. His plane got shot down over the ocean."

He looked at me quizzically, but all the same came to sit on the floor beside me.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"I'm not done." I whispered.

"Go on."

"It was intentional- someone killed him."

"I gathered that," he said gently, "who?"

"I don't think you're going to want to know." I said.

"I do." He said, "Tell me."

I paused for a long time, but eventually said it.

"Isabel Kabra."

I opened my eyes, and told him everything. The entire story (minus Madison, that seemed _too _personal) that Dan told me.

He was silent at first, but then he stood up, and opened my window again.

"Where are you going?" I asked, tears already welling up in my eyes.

"You're good." He said, ignoring the question.

"What do you mean?"

"You're good. Better than I thought, that is. I didn't think you'd really stoop that low- what, if you turn me against my own family it'll be easier to unite the Lucians? Your mom's watching right now, isn't she? I know that Kabra's aren't known for being good people, but my Grandmother would never stoop that low. She would never try to kill an infant. But you're good- I almost believed you, for about ten minutes."

I stared at him in shock, but then the shock turned into anger.

"Get the hell out of my house."

"Way ahead of you Grace. For the first time, apparently."

I watched him leave, and then looked at the window for a few minutes. I won't lie, I cried. I cried for a long time, and then I watched a crap movie on TV before I reacted the way that I react to a lot of things- I drove to the club that I took Benjamin to last night.

The night was still young; it was only 9, so I sat in a corner, people watching for a while. I refused to think about Benjamin, and it seemed like the more I was here, the less I thought about him. It wasn't enough though- every so often, his name would come to mind, and then I just got more upset. I needed a distraction.

Just as I was thinking this, a guy walked up to me- he was probably in his early 20s, and he reeked of cigarettes and vodka.

He'd do.

...

Benjamin was never a fan of self-loathing, but today seemed like a pretty good day to make an exception.

Not only was Grace a Madrigal, she was the daughter of one of the most powerful women in the world- why should he have expected anything different? But he didn't- he was still young, clearly. Young enough to assume the best in people, when they didn't deserve it.

But he liked to think that, even though she had been manipulating him, he got to know Grace at least a little bit. But he had to know that that couldn't be true, because based on what he thought he knew about Grace, he would have had to believe that she wasn't lying. Grace looked genuine when she was crying, telling him the entire story. The entire, _fabricated _story, he continued to remind himself.

But that didn't explain why he was here, in his grandmother's office, trying to come up with the right way to word a question that he wasn't supposed to be asking, but he decides to ask it anyway.

"When Grace Cahill and I were talking... Um, at the coffee shop that day, she mentioned something about her father."

Isabel chuckled, "Did she? Yes, Hamilton Holt. Go on."

"Well, she said that he died the day she was born."

"She would be correct."

Benjamin hesitated. "And, well... she also said that you were the one that killed him."

Isabel smirked.

"Benjamin," she said, "you don't think that to win this competition, a little blood might have to be shed? Hamilton Holt was a necessary casualty."

He almost didn't understand what she was admitting to. Almost.

"So, you admit it?" he asked, still shell-shocked. "You killed him?"

"I had no choice, Benjamin." Isabel said.

"You can leave now, if that's all you want." She continued after a few moments.

He nodded woodenly, leaving the room.

It then dawned on him that Grace had never lied to him; the ten minutes were nothing but the truth.

And he called her a liar, after the finally got the courage to tell him something that he had always known, but denied.

...

I am not enjoying myself right now.

This guy is all over me, and he never even told me his name- but that's ok, because I'm not thinking about Benjamin.

Of course, now I am.

...

She wasn't in her room.

That was the one thing Benjamin knew right now about where Grace was- but it wasn't doing him any good, because that only meant that he didn't know where she _wasn't. _He knew that Grace's mother still wasn't home, so he made is way downstairs, to see if he could find a better hint as to Grace's location. He found it in a note taped to the fridge.

_Mom,_

_Went out to that Tomas-run club._

_I'm fine, I'm safe, I love you-_

_Grace._

He had no idea if the club he went to with her was Tomas-run, but he figured that now would be as good a time as any to get away from the hunt, which is what Grace had said she did at the club.

So he drove.

...

Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

Because at first, yeah, I was distracted. But now I'm trying to distract _him, _the guy who seems to think that I signed on for a _tad _more than I intended to.

I know this, because he all but dragged me into a dark corner of the club- dark corners, in my experience, aren't for friendly chatting. But what do I know, because I don't have much experience with acts one commits in dark corners. Or any experience, for that matter.

This has gone on long enough.

I pushed the guy away, trying to get him off of me and escape to somewhere well-lit and crowded, but he took it the wrong way, grinning predatorily, grabbing my hand, and leading me towards the men's bathroom. I tried to pull away, but his grip was unrelenting. Normally, I could take him down, but to be honest, I was damn scared.

...

Benjamin walked in (thankful he had kept the fake I.D. Grace had made) the club and immediately looked around for any sign of Grace. He found her near the men's washroom, struggling to break away from a large man. He was grinning down at her, like this was all just a game to him, and he was winning. With one last tug, he managed to pull her fully into the washroom, closing the door behind him. Benjamin broke into a run, pushing people out of the way to get to Grace. The idiot didn't think to lock the door, so Benjamin just barged in.

The man was looming over Grace. She had bruises on her ribs, which were exposed since he had ripped off her shirt (it shouldn't matter, but Benjamin was glad for the fact that she was wearing a bra- no need to make this doubly traumatizing for Grace.), she was huddled in the corner, while the man had his back turned to Benjamin.

Benjamin knew exactly how to make a grown man unconscious (many different ways, actually), but he opted instead to try out a nerve pinch that he learned a few months ago. The man went down, leaving Grace and Benjamin cautiously watching each other.

...

Ok, so I don't know what he's doing here, but never have I been happier to see anyone in my life. I was still shaking, and he slowly came over to me, like I was a scared animal, like he thought I was going to run away. He handed me the jacket he was wearing (somewhere in the back of my mind it occurred to me that I was quickly obtaining a collection of Benjamin Kabra's jackets), and without saying a word, I put it on and wrapped it around myself. He offered me his hand, and I took it, letting myself be pulled up. He must have noticed how much my hands were shaking, because he didn't let go after he helped me up.

We didn't say anything; we just walked out of the club. Benjamin opened the door to my car for me, muttering something about how he'd pick his up later. I slipped in the passenger seat- no way was I driving like this. And Benjamin sped off in the direction of my house.

"Are you okay?" asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I'm fine." I said, "Nothing happened, you got there in time."

"Is your mom going to be home?" he asked.

"No. She said she won't be home until morning. Some Madrigal thing, I think."

He nodded.

We drove the rest of the way in silence, and when we got to my house, despite the warning bells going off in my head, I invited him in. He waited in my room while I showered and got changed, and then we had the inevitable conversation.

I curled up in my bed- I still couldn't shake the feeling of being frozen- and Benjamin sat at the foot of my bed. We stayed like that for a while until he broke the silence.

"She told me everything." He admitted.

"Everything as in...?"

"As in I asked her point blank if she killed your father, and she fully admitted to it. Said it was 'necessary'. So, I'm sorry."

"You should be." I said, "But I forgive you- we're pretty even now." Followed by an attempt at a laugh.

"Why would someone do that? Try to kill a baby, but opt to kill her father instead?"

"I can give you 39 reasons why someone would do that."

I yawned after I said that, and after a while I could feel my eyes about to betray me.

"You should probably go to sleep." Benjamin said when he noticed. "I'll go."

"Can you... not?" I asked, not wanting to outright ask him to stay- it wasn't that I was afraid of the dark, I was afraid of what could be hiding in the dark.

He just nodded, and pulled out the chair from my desk so he could sit by me.

"I feel like Edward Cullen- being creepy, watching you sleep." He said with a laugh.

"Never. Say. That. Again." I said, dead serious. "I mean it, I will end you."

He just laughed, held up his hands, palms out_- just saying! _

My hand flopped out so it was hanging over the edge of the bed, and Benjamin picked up my hand to put it back. Like last time, however, he didn't let go, and I didn't say anything.

...

Benjamin didn't know what time it was, but he knew it was very late. He still felt odd, sitting by Grace's bed holding her hand while she slept- it was a situation that would make anyone feel a bit creepy.

And that's when Amy Cahill walked in.

At first, she looked like she was trying to figure out why he was there, but when he stood up to go, and realized that he was still holding Grace's hand, a change came over her expression. She- well, she didn't exactly smile, but it looked like she might have, had things turned out differently, if this was a different life.

She nodded at him, he nodded back, and she left the room, leaving him still holding Grace's hand, with still no intention of letting go.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ahhhhh yes I haven't updated in far far FAR too long. Does it help that this chapter is 3051 words long? It should. That's a lot of words.**

**I'm gonna g'head and pimp my friend's fic again. Emzilla101 is currently writing a marauders Harry Potter fic (lmfao I have no idea what that means. I yoinked that from her profile. :D xD) called ****Unforgiving****, which, if you're a Harry Potter fan, you need to read. She's usually better at updating than I am, too, so that's also a plus. You can find that here: (remove the spaces, of course. :3)**

**http: /www . fanfiction . net/ s/ 6049492 / 1 / Unforgiving**

**NOW onto the fic that you actually came here to read. xD**

I have given a lot of people a lot of black eyes in my time, but this is the first one I've ever been embarrassed about.

I woke up this morning feeling... well, not exactly refreshed, but better than I had the night before, anyways. I went to move my arm, before I realized that something was grabbing on to it.

Now, I'm a Cahill, ladies and gentlemen. I wake up with someone holding on to any part of me, the rest of it is instinctual. I flung the hand that was being held at the head of my "attacker", and realized just a _smidge _too late that it was Benjamin. And then I learned that Benjamin was asleep. And _then _I learned some new British swear words.

Long story short, I apologized _profusely, _and I offered him breakfast (after making sure my mom was gone- I'm apologetic, not stupid), which is why I was currently standing in my kitchen making eggs and pancakes while Benjamin is pouting at the kitchen table, ice pack still firmly over his eye.

"So you're a Kabra." I said as I flipped over a pancake. "I'm sure you've been in more fights to the death than most kids- and a black eye's gonna make you sit there like a little baby for the rest of the day? Or do you just not want to help with breakfast?"

He sighed melodramatically, grinning.

"It's not so much the black eye, but Grace, you've caused me emotional pain." He put his hand over his heart and grinned. "I stay up all night with you, so you can get a good night's sleep, and you thank me by punching me in the face?" he shook his head sadly and smirked.

I laughed. "Technically," I said, "you punched yourself in the face. I just moved your hand in the right direction."

"First my eye, then my feelings, and now my ego. Shame on you, Grace. You better have a plan to make it up to me."

I grinned, but my smile quickly faded when I saw who was walking over to the kitchen. It stalked over to me, and then jumped up on the counter, staring into my soul.

"Cute cat. " Benjamin said offhandedly, scratching the devil's head.

"This cat is the source of all the pain and suffering in the world. I'm 100% convinced that in its past lives, this cat was Hitler, Jack the Ripper, and quite possibly Estelle Getty."

"Estelle Getty?" Benjamin asked bemusedly. "The Golden Girl?"

I nodded. "That cat is every bad thing ever, rolled up into 10 pounds of fur and 2 pounds of actual body mass."

Benjamin grinned. "Aww, he can't be that bad." He said. "He kind of looks like the cat from Stewart Little."

I sighed. "That's why I wanted him, at first. But damn, Walter is a mean little mofo."

"Walter?" Benjamin questioned, still grinning.

"Walter." I nodded. "His full name is Walter the Great. But Walter's easier."

"You named your cat Walter the Great?" he asked incredulously.

I shrugged. "Well I wasn't just going to name him Walter. God, that's so... generic. Sometimes I call him Walt, but he doesn't like that." I said as Walter the Great hissed at me.

"He doesn't approve of being called Walt?" Benjamin asked, smirking. "How do you know?"

"I know because he's giving you the stink eye." I stated matter-of-factly.

"Cats can give people the stink eye?"

"Why don't you look over at Walter the Great and tell me?"

Benjamin looked over, and, sure enough, Walter was giving him a death glare worthy of any Kabra. I wondered absent-mindedly if they were somehow related, then realized that Walter the Great was a cat, so... probably not, but I'll stand by my theory.

I dropped Benjamin's plate of pancakes in front of him, and Walter the Great sauntered over to him and sat directly beside the pancakes, looking about as innocent as a pregnant nun.

"Walter the Great, step away from the pancakes."

Walter hissed at me, and so I hissed back, twice as loudly. He gave up, and dejectedly walked out of the kitchen.

"Is that a common occurrence in your house?" Benjamin asked, still looking in the direction of Walter the Great.

I sighed. "I wish I could tell you that, no, Walter the Great is usually on his best behaviour and I live in a totally normal and stable environment, but yes. That happens quite often. Pretty much at every meal time."

Benjamin raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I'm not a cat person, per se." I said quietly.

"I've noticed."

We ate in silence for a while, until I broke it.

"I do have a plan though." I said, "To make it up to you, I mean."

Benjamin grinned. "Of course you do. Never a dull moment with you, Grace."

I just smiled. "You aren't going to like it, but one day, you'll thank me."

Benjamin's eyes widened.

"That's right." I said, grinning now. "We're getting you some jeans."

...

Waiting was never something Amy Cahill was very good at.

She now knows that waiting for your ex, who has also tried to murder you, is _far _worse than regular waiting.

She was seated in a booth in a crowded McDonalds. She made sure to choose the location at its busiest hour, so nobody could ambush her without making a scene. She knew that this wasn't something Isabel knew about. If it was, Ian would have made sure he chose the location. He let her choose, so she knew he was for real. Or at least, as for real as a Kabra can ever get, she thinks bitterly.

"Hello." Ian's voice comes from behind her, so she waits a moment to turn around. She doesn't like seeing the face that goes with his stiff, formal tone. There had been a time where she thought she would never hear that tone again, but she knows that those days are long gone. She knows, but that doesn't mean that she wants to acknowledge it.

Eventually, however, she has to turn around. And for the first time in a long time, Ian Kabra surprises her.

He's wearing what he always wears, and his expression is the same as always- reserved, but a trained eye can see that _just _below that is something, a kind of sadness that's been there for too long. But the bags under his eyes are what she notices first and foremost. The bags under his eyes that show just how much he's been through. It's almost enough to make Amy feel something close to sympathy for the man.

Almost.

...

"Hurry your ass up, Kabra- we don't have all day!"

"You know," came the response, muffled slightly from the other side of the change room door, "we could have gone to a designer store. We could have gone to a bloody _Levi's outlet _for all I care. Why are we in a Wal-Mart?"

"Do you know who goes to Designer stores, Benjamin? Your father. Your aunt. Your _delight _of a grandmother. Wal-Mart is like a safe place for us right now. I mean, if I hadn't dragged you in, you wouldn't be caught dead here."

"Are you saying that all the time and money Lucians put into breaking in to Madrigal strongholds was a waste, because you guys were holding your meetings in Wal-Marts?" I could hear the grin in his voice.

"Pretty much. Well, not literally, obviously, but maybe all the time and money has always been a waste. I mean, the Tomas, Janus, and Ekats sure seem to think so. Are you done in there?" I asked, changing the subject before we got into the touchy stuff.

"Yes," Benjamin replied, "but I'm not sure I want to come out."

"Benjamin Kabra, you have exactly 7 seconds to open that door before I pick the lock and drag your sorry ass out of there."

I stood outside the door and counted the seconds (quickly, but who needs those stupid 'Mississippi's between numbers anyway?). When time was up, I pulled a bobby pin out of my hair and picked the lock in almost-record time, swinging the door open. Benjamin was sitting on the little change room bench with his arms folded across his chest, looking contemplatively at me.

"How did you-?" the question went unfinished, but I got the gist.

I smirked slightly, holding up the bobby pin and tilting my head.

"Cahill."

"Right."

"So," I said, "Let's see. Stand up."

Benjamin reluctantly complied, and it was all I could do to keep my mouth closed.

Because, _come on, _how does someone never wear jeans when they look like _that _in jeans?

"Okay." I said lightly, "So I'm going to need you to buy about 5 pairs of those."

"Why?" he asked, before it dawned on him, and a smirk worthy of a Batman villain crept on his face.

"Why Grace Cahill," he said, "do my jeans turn you on?"

My face went bright red, and I turned away.

"Nope." I said. "Not at all. I just think that you, being a rich guy who has never owned jeans before, should take advantage of the opportunity to buy many pairs that fit you-"I cleared my throat, "-that well."

He nodded and walked back in the change room.

"Totally turned on by my jeans." He called through the door.

...

They didn't say much for the first little while.

You can't blame them, because what would they say? It seemed like everything that could have been said was said years ago. 21 years, two marriages, and two kids ago. Amy wasn't sure what she was even doing here, sitting in a McDonald's booth with Ian Kabra. It didn't make any sense.

"I'm worried." Ian finally said. He might as well have said 'I'm secretly a woman'. That might have made more sense. Ian Kabra simply did not _get _worried. Or if he did, he sure as hell didn't admit it.

"About?" Amy asked, never quite making eye contact.

"About the fact that my son was asking about you. You and Grace. And now we can't find him."

Amy closed her eyes. Of course Ian was looking for Benjamin. She should have said something when she saw him in Grace's room, but she didn't. She didn't, because, a few years ago, the girl with the red hair she saw in bed, holding hands with someone she knew she shouldn't be could have been her.

"And you're blaming me?" she asked quietly.

Ian didn't say anything for a while, before he leaned down, forcing Amy to look into his eyes. And she was trapped again.

"I'd be lying," he said, "if I told you that I like the way my life turned out. But I would also be lying if I said that I regret Benjamin in any way, shape, or form. I know you feel the same way about Grace, and I know that you would cover for Benjamin if you knew he was safe. So just tell me- is he?"

Amy pulled herself away from the intensity of his eyes. She hung her head slightly.

"Yes." She said quietly. "He's fine. Don't worry about him."

Ian glanced at her through his eyelashes.

"What did you do?" He asked, looking like someone who would cry if he still remembered how.

"I didn't do _anything, _Ian!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking only slightly on his name, "I just walked into Grace's room last night and he was in there with her. I didn't do anything."

Ian hung his head.

"I'm worried about them." He confessed.

Amy nodded her agreement.

"I don't want to force them to stay apart," she lamented, "but we both know they can't be together."

"Why not?" Ian asked, knowing exactly why.

"You know why not," Amy said intuitively. She bit her lip, "we could help them." She said after a beat.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we could protect them. I don't know what's going to come out of this, this _thing _they have going on right now, but I want them to be able to make their own choices about where it goes."

"How do you propose we do that?" Ian asked.

"We do the impossible." Amy said grimly, "We keep a secret from Isabel Kabra."

...

"Tell me again how you managed to talk me into buying 5 pairs of jeans?"

"Because you love them, and it didn't take that much convincing."

"Right."

Benjamin and I were done in the change rooms (that sounded wrong. Let's ignore that.), and we were now aimlessly walking around wal-mart, looking for thinks that piqued our interest.

And then I saw it.

I whipped my arm out to stop Benjamin mid-sentence. "Benjamin."

"What?" he asked, before his eyes followed mine to the top of the high shelf we were standing in front of. "Oh." He said.

"Oh?" I demanded, "I show you a small slice of heaven and you say _oh?" _

"Oooh?" he tried.

"I want it." I deadpanned.

"Ok." He shrugged.

"Help me get it." I instructed.

"It's just a soccer ball," Benjamin said, "is it worth all the effort?"

"It is _not _just a soccer ball. It is a orange soccer ball. A freaking _glittery _orange soccer ball. If that's not the most amazing thing you've ever seen, then I have no idea what would be."

Benjamin sighed. "Ok then," he said, "how do you want to go about this?"

I studied the tall shelf.

"I can probably get to it if you give me a boost. Lace your fingers together and I'll put a foot on your hands"

Benjamin shook his head helplessly, but complied, lacing his fingers together to create a platform for me to stand on. I put an arm on his shoulder (which probably should have been awkward, but I didn't have time to think about awkward) and lifted my foot while he lowered his arms to make it easier for me. I grabbed the shelf at a lower part to steady myself, and Benjamin slowly raised me up.

I cautiously looked around at the store, now that I could see everything, to make sure nobody noticed me. My eyes swept across the children's department, the electronics, and the McDonald's.

Wait.

What?

I looked closely at the people in the McDonald's. The place was packed- moms with little kids, loitering teenagers, and, more importantly, a couple sitting in a booth. The woman had her back turned to me, but I could see her red hair. I'd never seen the man before, but I had seen Benjamin before, and he was the spitting image of him.

My mom was having lunch with Ian Kabra.

I stood frozen in place, like a deer caught in headlights, watching them. Neither of them smiled, and it seemed like they were done talking. Ian glanced up quickly, and I flinched, almost falling over before I grabbed onto the shelf- below me, Benjamin wobbled slightly.

"Retreat!" I hissed down at him. I risked another look at Ian, when I realized that he was staring at me, saying something absentmindedly to my mom. I gaped at him, waiting for him to sell me out to my mom, but he just blinked at me and went back to the conversation. My mom was smarter than that, though, and because I knew she would turn around after seeing Ian look in our direction, I raised my voice to repeat the demand.

Thanking God that Benjamin was trained just as well as I was, I jumped into the air, Benjamin's hands propelling me higher. Midair, I turned half way so that Benjamin could catch me bridal-style.

"Ok," I said, only panting a little, "That was pretty badass."

Benjamin smirked, "except you forgot your soccer ball on the shelf."

"GODDAMNIT!" I screeched, then quickly covered my mouth when I remembered who else was in the building. If we were close enough for Ian to see me, we were close enough for him to hear me. I grabbed Benjamin's arm and pulled him into the baby section, hiding behind a display of Huggies.

"Your dad's here." I whispered furiously.

I watched as Benjamin's eyes went huge and he looked frantically around. "Where?"

"He's at the McDonald's- I saw him... With my mom."

"What was he doing with your mom?"

"Do I want to know that? No. No I do not. Let's just leave while we can."

"Did he see you?"

"No." I lied.

Benjamin nodded. Silently, he checked his surroundings and started walking quickly through the aisles, with me right behind him. We weaved through the crowds of people without making a sound, until the exit was in sight. Unfortunately, that meant that the McDonald's was also in sight, because it was right beside the exit. _Fortunately, _neither Ian nor my mom were looking in our direction, so we took the opportunity to dart out the door.

We forgot that Benjamin was still wearing the jeans.

With the alarms blaring behind us, we sprinted to Benjamin's car. He jumped in and started it, barely giving me time to close the door before he zoomed out of the parking lot. Gripping onto the arm of the seat for dear life, we made our escape.

"I blame you." Benjamin said dryly after we had been going driving for a while, still speeding.

"Why me?" I demanded, "It's not my fault they were there!"

"No," Benjamin consented, "But it _is _your fault that I'm wearing the jeans. The jeans that directed all attention to us. They probably saw us. _Because of the jeans._"

"Well if we're blaming the jeans, then we should just go ahead and blame the Lucians for training you enough to make to completely freaking _ripped, _and then you wouldn't look that good in the jeans, and then none of this would have happened."

Benjamin grinned, "A- we sound like the first page of To Kill a Mockingbird," I laughed, "And B- you just admitted that you think my jeans are sexy."

I reddened, "Not explicitly." I said primly.

Benjamin chuckled and we drove in silence again for a while, until Benjamin broke it.

"You still didn't deny it." He said, laughter in his voice.


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm not good with updating; I'm an awful person, ect.**

**This chapter's a tad bit smaller than previous ones, but I wanted to leave two little cliff hangers for you guys. ;) But, the identity of Ian's wife and Benjamin's mother will finally be revealed! :o **

**BUT before that, you really do need to take a look at my friend Bex13's Harry Potter fic. I've never read a single Harry Potter book or watched any of the movies, but this fic made me laugh out loud repeatedly. And I'm a character in it! So, that's something. xD**

**http: / www . fanfiction . net /s /659 3927 /1/ Sparks_Fly**

**(Remove spaces)**

**And now here we go! Enjoy, hopefully the next chapter'll be up soon. Maybe sooner rather than later, depending on the reviews I get. ;)**

"Grace?"

Crap.

I'm not entirely sure how I managed to delude myself into thinking that my mother, aka arguably the most powerful women on the planet, aka the girl who could break into strongholds undetected at 14, aka my mother, would remain conveniently unaware of my little day trip with Benjamin. I'm also not entirely sure why I thought that Ian Kabra wouldn't tell my mom that he saw me. But he did, obviously, and now here we are.

I cautiously made my way to my mom's office (Walter the Great smirking at me the entire time, like he knew I was in trouble.) and sat down in the chair opposite hers quietly. She looked up, and surprised me. I was expecting a death glare to end all death glares, or at the very least a 'Grace Hope Cahill I'm Very Disappointed In You' look, but she smiled softly at me instead, before going back to whatever she was doing on her computer.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, wondering if she just brought me in here to say hi. Of course, I could never be so lucky.

"Just... Wanted to say hi." She said with a light, absentminded smile.

Huh.

"That's all?" I asked, shocked.

"mmhmm." She murmured.

"Are you sure? Nothing you had to say to me, or... anything else?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Is there something you think I should be talking about, Grace?" She asked, looking me in the eye.

Oh, so _that's _how it's going to be. She totally knows what happened; she's just giving me a chance to admit to it.

I shifted awkwardly in my seat.

"Oh." My mom said, pretending that she suddenly remembered something. "Are you thinking that I should be yelling at you for hanging out with Benjamin Kabra?"

Even though I knew it was coming, I still flinched. I ducked my head down.

"Even though I would have liked for you to have told me what was going on, I... I trust your judgement, Grace."

My head shot up.

"W-What?" I stammered. "Why aren't you screaming at me? I went against your rules, I ki... hung out with the grandson of your worst enemy!"

My mom nodded. "And the grandson of my worst enemy is saving your life. I wish I could have given you a better life, Grace. A life where we lived in a suburb somewhere. A life where you could have friends and we could argue like a normal family, a life where the training you've been through was just a fantasy. But that's not what your life is. Since your great-grandmother died it wasn't my life, and it was never going to be your life. And it kills me that you have to hide sometimes, that you don't have any friends. If Benjamin Kabra is what you need to feel normal, I don't have a say in that."

I sat there, gaping at her. This was the last thing I thought she would have said.

"So... You don't mind if I hang out with him?" I clarified.

"No." She said.

...

"So she totally called me out on everything, and then just says, _oh yeah, it's cool, you can hang out with him all you want._"

Benjamin looked at me, just as shocked as I was.

After my mom dropped the bomb, I drove over to Benjamin's and hid out in the bushes until Benjamin noticed me (which, thankfully, only took like 15 minutes.) and came out to meet me. He wasn't entirely sure what I was doing there, I could tell, but thankfully he now knows me well enough that he just ran me over to my car and let me drive us away. (I'm not all that sure how I feel about the fact that the person who knows me better than anyone, apparently, is Benjamin Kabra.)

That's how we ended up here, sitting at a picnic table in a massive park, moms with strollers staring us down like we're suddenly going to jump each other's bones, or do meth, or something. Neither of which I was particularly interested in, in case you were wondering. The fact that once the thought of me jumping Benjamin's bones came into my head my face flushed bright red was a completely irrelevant point. It was a hot day. The kids in winter jackets are also irrelevant. It's hot out, ok?

"My dad said the same thing to me!" He exclaimed, snapping me out of my inner monologue.

"What?" I demanded.

"He called me into his office, and sat me down for a 'man-to-man talk'- and my first thought, of course, is 'good Lord, he's going to give me a sex talk.' But he started going on about opportunities and family pride, and then he just said 'I just want you to know that you're free to associate with whoever you want.' And he really accented the _whoever, _you know? So I immediately knew he was talking about you."

Well, this was an interesting turn of events.

"Well, this is an interesting turn of events." I said after I thought that. "Clearly, our parents are in Cahoots."

"Cahoots?" Benjamin intoned amusedly.

"_Cahoots." _I said seriously.

"And what do you propose we do about the _cahoots?_" Benjamin asked.

"Why, absolutely nothing." I said, "If we do something, it could turn rather sour, don't you think?" I said, trying to sound as posh as he does ninety percent of the time.

"True." Benjamin said, an unreadable look on his face.

"So what-" I started to say, but was cut off by the sound of a gleeful, nauseatingly high-pitched squeal.

Both Benjamin and I looked over to see who was the source of the sound that could really be used for serious torture if we could somehow bottle it; and we were greeted with a scene from Baywatch.

Really. If they were still filming Baywatch, this girl would have made Pam Anderson _real _nervous. She was running towards us (and I'm not sure why, but somehow it seemed as if she was running in slow motion. More Baywatch, I guess.), the biggest grin on her face. She was darkly tanned, blond hair, blue eyes, the whole nine yards. She had a healthy glow about her, like she spent a lot of time outside. Probably helping wounded orphans, or something, I thought bitterly before I remembered that it didn't matter.

It mattered a bit more, however, when she downright _leapt _at Benjamin, succeeding in tackle-hugging him. He looked at her confusedly for a second before his face lit up and he put on a grin to match hers.

"Emily?" He asked, more excited than I've ever seen him.

Well, crap.

…

_Deep breath in, deep breath out. It's not that hard, you've been doing it for years! Just. Keep. Breathing._

Amy Cahill was trying to compose herself, trying to make sure that nobody would see through the façade she tended to put up whenever she was around Ian. It was as if they were 14 again, and his mere presence made her into a stuttering idiot. Back then, she built up weak excuses of hate to try and convince him she didn't care.

But there was a time where he managed to break those down, too.

She shook her head in a weak attempt at clearing her thoughts of that time. That time was done and she knew it.

She was sitting rigidly in a large chair, in the bar that she and Ian had agreed to meet. Seeing him wasn't exactly something she loved, but they both realized they needed to, for their kids. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Amy wondered if she was just living vicariously through her daughter. She dismissed that thought as quickly as it came, though, because it wasn't true or because she simply didn't want to think about it she didn't care.

At 7pm, the bar was virtually empty, too late for happy hour, too early for partying. Amy wished that the space was more crowded. More room to hide.

Just then, the doors swung open, and Ian walked in, quickly seeing her and making his way over to Amy.

_Deep breath in, deep breath out, _she instructed herself one last time, before he sat down across from her.

Ian wasted no time. "They saw each other today."

Amy matched his tone, "I know." She said, "Amy left as soon as I told her she could see him."

Ian hesitated, "Do you think there's…. something there?" He asked.

Amy sighed. "I couldn't tell you." She said.

The doors behind Amy opened again, and Ian looked up absentmindedly to see who the new patron was. His eyes quickly widened, however, when he recognized the woman.

With the same red hair as Amy, the two women could quickly be mistaken for each other. That was his mother's reasoning, at first, he remembered bitterly.

_So you like redheads, Darling? She's not the only girl with red hair out there, you know. Easily replaceable, that girl. _

They never really loved each other. Not like Ian had loved Amy. It was an understanding. It was polite. It was fondness. It wasn't love. It wasn't even lust. It wasn't even _attraction, _for Christ sakes. It was a relationship dominated by Isabel Kabra. A match made in heaven for Lucians, but in Hell for Ian.

They had become friends, though, this woman and he. They both knew that love was never going to grow out of this match. They played their parts well, the two of them getting married when they were told to, after they had barely known each other for a month.

He hadn't expected the match his mother provided. That was for sure. For one thing, he was expecting a Lucian. A high-ranking one at that. That Chrissy Collins girl she was always going on about. Not this. Not an Ekat. Not her.

Not the broken girl he received. Broken from, ironically enough, Hamilton Holt. She often cursed herself for loving him when she barely knew him. She told him that she couldn't help it, just like he couldn't help but be in love with Amy, even now. It wasn't something he could control. She knew that. Ian played the part of best and only friend for years. When she heard about Hamilton's death, he was the one who comforted her.

But there was no love. Nothing more than platonic love. Nothing more.

Amy turned her head to see who Ian was staring at. She lost her voice for a moment, stuttering under her breath before stopping, clearing her throat, and saying Ian's wife's name.

"Sinead?" she asked.

…

"Make yourself at home." Emily said cheerily, taking off her black pea coat and her red gloves, unravelling the scarf from her neck. She looked like something out of a TV show- looking good after just running around in the freezing cold. I knew for a fact that my nose was bright red, and my coat was suddenly far too puffy for my liking.

Emily had invited us back to her hotel, which was, of course, the grandest, most expensive place in the entire freaking _state. _I wasn't sure who she was until she went to help Benjamin up, offering her hand and exposing the tattoo on her wrist. Two snakes, coiled around each other. That's just great. So now not only is she like, every guy's dream girl personified, she's also a Lucian.

Oh, and did I mention the accent? 'Cause it's Australian. Yup, chick's _exotic, _too.

Emily slipped off her shoes while Benjamin took a seat on the end of her bed. I'm not sure why, but that pissed me off to no end.

Emily had another tattoo on her foot. Curved around her ankle were Arabic letters.

**ولن****يكون****انتصر****على****. **

She caught me looking at them and smiled politely.

"Cleopatra." She said.

I nodded like that made sense.

"It means 'I will not be triumphed over.' It's a Cleopatra quote."

Well I knew that that was a Cleopatra quote, but _excuse me _for not knowing Arabic.

Emily nodded.

"I will not be triumphed over." She said again. I'm not sure I liked the look in her eyes as she said that.

…

Amy was speechless. Speechless and very, very hurt.

"You… You _married _Sinead Starling?" She said for what was probably the thousandth time.

Ian kept his eyes down.

"My mother was trying to form an alliance with the Ekats at the time." He said again.

"So… It wasn't even that I was from another branch. It was just me, then." Amy said quietly.

"Amy-"Sinead tried to say, but it was too late; Amy was already half way out the door.

_Breathe in, breathe out._


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow you guys, thank you so much for all the awesome reviews! When I posted the last chapter, there were 72- as I'm posting this, there are 98. I got 26 reviews on one chapter, which is frigging awesome. I love all of you guys! And see, when you review like the wind, it encourages me to update quickly. Keep that in mind. ;) **

**Before we get on to the chapter, I have a feeling I might get some criticism for the onslaught of another new character. I just want to let you guys know that all of my OCs WILL contribute to the plot. I'm not just adding them in for kicks.**

**On that note, enjoy chapter 9, and Happy New Year! **

**... . .-.. .-.. - ..-..**

What?

**.- - -.- ..-..**

I got home earlier than my mom, and the Emily situation was really bugging me, for reasons that I don't particularly want to think about. Because of this, I ran downstairs as soon as I got home.

Our basement is sort of really creepy. It's filled with random junk mixed in with Priceless artifacts, stolen art and, for some reason, a stuffed tiger. (My theory is that's why Walter the Great doesn't come down here, so I appreciate that beast.) It's creepy as hell, but I love it. I come down here when I'm pissed off about one thing or another.

What I never noticed, however, was the old military Morse code machine… thing. I probably would never have noticed it, if it hadn't started sending a message. _Hello? _Followed by _Amy? _

Thanking the Madrigals for teaching me Morse code, I sent a message back.

**.- ... - .. ... - ... .. ... ..-.. **_Who is this?_

**.. .- -. .-.-.- **_Ian._

My hands froze. I immediately backed away from the machine… thing (what the hell are those things called, anyway?) and sat by Simba. (Who, if you're wondering, is the stuffed tiger. Yeah yeah, Simba was a lion, yatta yatta yatta. I was 3. I saw a big cat and my mind jumped to Lion King, ok?) I tried to ignore the beeping coming from the other side of the room, but my mind is pretty hardwired for Morse code, so it was hard not to get the message.

**.. ... - ... .. ... -. .-. .- -.-. . ..-.. **_Is this Grace? _

I don't know what made me do it, but I crossed the room and responded.

**-.- . ... .-.-.- ... . .-.. .-.. - .-.-.- **_Yes. Hello. _

**.- ... . .-. . .. ... -.- - ..- .-. - - - ... . .-. ..-.. **_Where is your mother? _Came the quick response.

**- ..- - .-.-.- .- .. - ... -.- - ..- ..-.. **_Out. With you?_

**-. - .-.-.- ... ... . .-.. . ..-. - .-.-.- -. - - ... - - . -.- . - ..-..**_ No. She left. Not home yet?_

So that's how he's playing it. I thought he would immediately deny having any contact with my mom. Way to pick now to be an honest guy, Ian.

**.- ... -.- -.. - -.- - ..- -.-. .- .-. . ..-.. **_Why do you care?_

**.. .- - .-. .-. -.- .-.-.- **_I worry._

**... ..- -.-. ... .- ... .- .. -. - .-.-.-**_ Such a saint. _I hope he can feel the sarcasm through a Morse code message.

**- ... .. ... .. ... ... - .- .- . ..- ... . -.. - - -.-. - - - ..- -. .. -.-. .- - . .-.-.- **_This is how we used to communicate._

**-.-. - - .-.. ..-.. **_Cool? _I was getting bored of this.

**- . .-.. .-.. ... . .-. .. - .- .- ... -. - - ... . .-. ..-. .- ..- .-.. - .-.-.- **_Tell her it was not her fault. _What? I hesitated before responding for the last time.

**.- . .-. .-.. .-.. ... . . .-.-.- **_We'll see._

I left the basement, opting instead for my room. Once I was away from the distraction of talking to Ian, though, everything that had happened in Emily's hotel room came rushing back, succeeding in making me even more upset.

Emily had explained that she was in town on _family business, _looking at me strangely until Benjamin introduced me as Grace _Cahill_, and her eyes widened in recognition, which, I've got to admit, was fun to watch.

After she learned who I was, Emily seemed to take me a little more seriously. I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not, because that seemed to make her sit just a _tad _closer to Benjamin than was strictly necessary. Every so often she would notice me noticing, smirk evilly, and start going on about some inside joke that apparently was _so funny if you were there._

I tried to keep the conversation going, asking just what kind of family business Emily was on.

"Just… Family stuff." She said, trying to be casual. How can this girl possibly be a Lucian? She smiled good-naturedly. "Sorry Grace, but I'm not really supposed to tell you. You understand, right?"

"Of course." I said tightly. It's not that I didn't get that the Lucians don't exactly want me to know their secrets, but it sort of bugs me that it was glaringly obvious that I was the only non-Lucian in the room.

We all sat around awkwardly for about 40 years, until I broke the silence.

"I should probably get going." I said, standing up and fidgeting with the sleeve of my shirt. Emily got up gracefully and smiled.

"If you have to." She said in a tone that clearly implied _Oh please do._

"I do." I said in a tone that clearly implied that I was giving her the finger in my head.

Benjamin got up, perfect gentleman that he apparently is.

"Don't feel like you have to leave because of family stuff, Grace." He said quietly to me, Emily watching him the entire time. I had the sudden urge to run up to her and scream _HA HA! _But, of course, I didn't.

I shook my head.

"No, it's cool." I said, "You guys probably have stuff you need to talk about. I don't want to be the Madrigal third wheel." I laughed awkwardly.

Emily laughed along with me, only hers sounded more like a pageant queen's charming giggle. I realized then that I sort of hate this girl.

"Ok then." Benjamin said. "I'll…" his voice trailed off. I knew he was going to say something along the lines of 'I'll call you later', but he wasn't sure how to say it. I had no idea what his number was. He didn't know mine, we hadn't exchanged email addresses, and we really didn't have any way to communicate other than showing up at each other's houses and hiding until someone found us. Looking back, I really wish I had known about the Morse code machine… thing (henceforth referred to as the MCMT) then, so I could have just told him to contact me that way. Instead I just nodded, letting him know that I got the general message- we'll talk soon, somehow.

I left the room, walking down the ornate hall.

Okay, I _swear _I meant to just go home. But I mean _come on! _Benjamin was in there with like, blond Megan Fox. So I can't be judged for what I did next.

I calmly waked into the elevator at the end of the hall, but instead of pressing the button that would've taken me to the lobby, I only went two floors down. Once it stopped, I walked out of the elevator like I owned the place (actually, I very well may have owned the place. Or known someone who does. I'll have to ask about that.) And started slowly walking down a hall. When I got to a door that, as far as I could remember, was directly below Emily's window (or one of them, anyway), I knocked quietly on it. When nobody responded, I knocked harder, and then went down on my stomach to look under the door. I didn't see any signs of people, so I went for it. Taking the pin that I keep tucked in my hair near the back of my neck, I picked the lock efficiently and let myself in.

This room was still nice, but it was nowhere near as nice as Emily's penthouse, two floors up. I'm not sure what made me want to spy on her- it was probably just Cahill instinct, automatically knowing who not to trust (i.e. everybody). Either way, I made my way over to the window, thankful that this room had a balcony. Stepping onto it, I carefully lifted my foot onto the railing, then the other foot, until I sort of looked like a Gargoyle.

Okay, so, as a Cahill, people expect you to be pretty damn fearless. The only thing, however, is I'm _so not. _Heights aren't exactly my thing. It's not that I'm scared of them. I'm more scared of the whole _falling to my death _thing. Most times I'm totally fine with it, but not when Emily's room was the Penthouse, the 25th floor. That's 25 stories. That's 250 feet. If I took a tumble, I wasn't going to bounce back, that's all I'm saying. I slowly stood up, grabbing the floor of the balcony above me, so I was only one floor away from Emily's room. It was quite the work out, hoisting myself onto the next balcony, let me tell you. The next one was easier, partly because I was already warmed up from the first one and partly because I neglected to check and see if anyone was in that room, so I had to go faster. Cautiously lifting myself onto Emily's penthouse verandah, I crouched in the corner, where the curtains were blocking any view of me. I'm not sure what I expected to see- proof that Emily was evil would have been nice, come to think of it.

I got proof, all right.

Benjamin's back was towards me, but Emily was facing the window. So, I guess when you think about it, it was a good thing her eyes were closed.

Emily had her arms snaked around Benjamin's waist, her talons gripping at the back of his shirt. It sort of looked like she was trying to eat his face. She was kissing him, straight-up, full on the mouth. I totally saw tongue.

I know how people always say _my heart dropped_, but that's not what happened. It was all of my internal organs, all plummeting to their demise. And Goddamn, it _hurt_.

Emily opened her eyes then, but I didn't move. I was paralyzed, a dear caught in headlights. She locked eyes with me and smirked into the kiss that was _still frigging going on. _Her hand disentangled itself from Benjamin's back and made a little shooing motion, like _you can leave now. _

I went down the same way I came up, faster this time, and went down the rest of the way on the elevator. I started walking through the lobby, then speed walking, until finally I was downright sprinting out to my car. I took a shaky breath once I was safely inside, and drove off at a speed that probably wasn't legal, but I didn't think to check and I didn't get caught, so it didn't matter.

And that leaves me here, alone in my room, with a really shit realization hanging over my head:

I totally like Benjamin Kabra.

I mean, it's not like I never thought about it. For the love of God, we kissed before and it didn't exactly suck, but I always thought I was better than that. No offence to my mom, or anything, but I thought I would be smarter. Liking a Lucian always leads to a shitstorm of epic proportions. I knew that. But since Emily tackled Benjamin in the park earlier today something bugged me about her, something poking me in the back of the head.

I didn't realize that it was jealousy until now. Well, damn.

Just as I was thinking this, I heard the front door open. I went downstairs to see my mom struggling with a bunch of shopping bags. I grabbed some of them to ease her load, peeking in and noticing that they were full of booze.

"Mom…" I said quietly. I didn't want to question what had happened, even though I already knew it had to do with Ian.

"Just… Don't." She said, "Listen, Grace, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you should stick with hanging out with kids from branches we've already united, okay? It's safer that way."

I bit my lip and nodded.

…

Have you ever noticed how you can see something every day of your life, but the one time you're actually _looking _for it it's nowhere to be found?

A few months ago I went to this concert that I probably shouldn't have gone to. In my defense, it was like, my all-time favorite band and they _never _come to Boston, and the fact that it was an 18+ show was sure as hell not going to stop me. I met this girl there who clearly wasn't 18, and got in with a fake ID, like me. I walked over to her and we started talking, and at the end of the concert I had her cell number. I stuck it in a random corner of my room and didn't think anything of it, until today.

I could tell by the way she acted that this girl (I can't for the life of me remember her name now, so I hope I wrote it on the piece of paper with her number on it) wasn't a Cahill. And she seemed like a decent person, and really I'm at a total loss right now because I can't think of anything else to do. I mean, I feel like I need to talk to someone, but everyone I know'll be worried that I'm trying to take family secrets from them. I need to talk to a girl, so I can bitch about my apparent boy troubles. I need a normal person to talk to.

Honestly? I need a friend.

…

"F Yes!" I screeched when I found the little slip of paper tucked away in an old pair of shoes. It said _Becky _and a phone number. I quickly dialed it, and waited.

This made me sort of rethink this entire thing. I mean, I know she's a nice person, but how nice is nice? And I don't think I would take to kindly to a random girl that I spoke to for like an hour months ago calling me up out of the blue. I was just about to hang up before a pleasant voice answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Um, Hi." I said, unsure. "You probably don't remember me, but we met at that concert a few months back? My name's Grace."

"Grace!" Becky said. I could hear her smile- a good sign, I hoped. "Of course I remember you! You and I were the only people who agreed that that drummer was hot!"

"Well he was the drummer," I said, already comfortable, "it's band logic that the drummer has to be hot. Every time."

Becky laughed.

I hesitated slightly, "You wouldn't want to come over, would you? I know it's kinda late, but you could always stay over."

That end part came out without my consent, I assure you. She's never going to want to come over now! I sound like a rapist!

"Sure!" Becky said, peppy but not annoyingly so.

I quickly gave her directions and hung up so I could hunt down my mom. As expected, she was slouched in the living room, reading Nicolas Sparks with a bottle of wine tucked between her legs. Pure class, that woman.

I marched up to her and yanked the book out of her hands, eliciting an annoyed growly noise.

"Mom, I don't particularly care if you want to get trashed tonight. Really, I don't. But I have a friend coming over in like ten minutes, so it'd be awesome if you could get trashed in the privacy of your own room."

She looked up at me with glassy eyes.

"Who?" She asked.

"A girl." I said, "A girl that has no idea about the hunt, and is completely normal."

My mom nodded.

"Okay then."

I wasn't asking your permission there mama, but alright.

"Okay." I said, "So take your cheap romance novels and expensive alcohol and get out of here."

If she was sober I probably would have gotten a lecture.

I led her up to her room and set her up. This probably wasn't a normal daughter's job, but I believe it's been established already that normal I am not.

Just as I was leaving, I risked a glance back at her, lying in bed.

"Ian told me to tell you it wasn't your fault." The words came out in a rush, but I knew she understood them. She looked sharply up at me, and I shrugged.

"Don't shoot the messenger." I said.

…

Becky arrived a few minutes later, carrying a backpack which, I assumed, was holding her overnight stuff. I couldn't help but remember the last person who spent the night, and that made me want to talk to Becky even more.

We made chicken nuggets, and then went up to my room to eat them. I was worried that we weren't going to have anything to talk about, but it turned out that we actually had a lot in common. Plus, it helped that we were quite possibly musical soul mates. Speakers blaring, I finally told her the reason I invited her over.

"So there's this guy," I started, making Becky nod understandingly, "and I mean, it's not as if we were exactly bffs before, but I saw him kissing another girl today, and I sort of realized, well crap, apparently I like him."

That's how it begun. We spent the rest of the night analyzing every conversation I've ever had with Benjamin (fudging the details of how we met just a touch.), until eventually, somehow I ended up crying on Becky's shoulder, cursing myself all the while.

I sniffed and wiped my eyes, trying to regain control.

"I'm sorry." I said, and laughed shakily, "I'm unloading all of this on you and I don't even know your last name." I joked.

I saw something flash behind Becky's eyes, but I ignored it for the time being.

"Why does that matter?" she said, smiling.

"I guess you're right." I said, and laughed again.

It was sort of liberating, not having to go through the mess of last names with someone. My last name precedes me wherever I go. It makes people judge me, and mistrust me on sight. Maybe not knowing last names is a good thing, for now.

…

So I've decided that Becky's a generally good person, but a shit judge of character.

Late last night, Walter the Great stalked into my room, to check out the new person in the house, I guess. Becky immediately scooped him up and made these ridiculous gurgling noises at him, and now they're best friends. Becky left an hour ago, and Walt's still moping around.

Becky and I came up with the general plan to meet up with Benjamin sometime soon, so she could "assess" him. I'm perfectly fine with that, because it means I don't have to face him alone. As babyish as that sounds, it's true.

Back in the basement, I was leaned up against Simba, trying to work up the nerve to tap out a message on the MCMT. Eventually, I made my way over to it and nervously sent a message.

**.. .- -. ..-.. .. - .-. ... -. .-. .- -.-. . .-.-.-** _Ian? It's Grace. _

I got a message back almost instantly.

**-.- . ... ..-..** _Yes?_

**.. - - .-.. -.. ... . .-. .-.-.- - . .-.. .-.. -... . -. .- .- - .. -. - - ... . -. -.. - . .- - . ... ... .- -. . .- ... . -. ... . -.-. .- -. .-.-.- **_I told her. Tell Benjamin to send me a message when he can._

**- ..-. -.-. - ..- .-. ... . .-.-.- **_Of course._

I hesitated, and then sent one last message;

**- ... .- -. -.- -.- - ..- .-.-.- **_Thank You._


	10. Chapter 10

**ASLKDFJSLFH I AM SO VERY SORRY. I really hope this makes up for it. It isn't the longest chapter ever, but I really wanted to give you guys a Valentine's day present. Benjamin is up for being anyone's Valentine (So are Grace, Emily, and Becky, if you are so inclined.) in return for not updating.**

**I figure now is as good a time as any to give you guys a link to my tumblr, because that's where I spend most of my time online- my url is youdidntseenanything . tumblr . com, without the spaces, of course. You guys can spam my ask box there whenever I get lazy with updating. Anon is on, so you don't even need an account! **

**So, please enjoy this (very fluffy, sort of too short) Valentine's day chapter!**

**WARNING: This chapter is horrendously unproofread. I apologize, but I really wanted to get this chapter out!**

You know those days where it seems like the world is sort of completely against you, and you just want to spend your entire day under your covers listening to angsty music and poking your head out every now and then so you can breathe?

Yeah. So that's my life right now.

And while I would be more than content to do just that all day, I cannot. Would you like to know why? There are three reasons.

I like Benjamin (which I don't particularly want to say out loud very often, so that'll be the last time.)

Emily is freaking _gorgeous, _and finally;

Becky is an ass.

Of course, I'm sure that warrants more explanation, so I'll go on.

I called Becky this morning to make sure we were still on for our meeting with Benjamin and Emily (and no, I totally _didn't _hiss in my head when I thought her name. No siree.) And as soon as I called her she started acting really weird. Not lovably weird, either. Like, padded-cell-have-you-met-my-friends-in-the-long-white-coats-yet? Kind of weird. I asked her if she wanted me to pick her up or if we were just going to meet at the park that we had arranged (via the MCMT, of course. That thing is quickly becoming my new best friend.) with Benjamin to meet at, and she started acting really strangely. She came up with a half-assed excuse about a doctor's appointment, apologizing profusely and hanging up before I could even say good bye.

It's not like I'm not an independent person, okay? I am totally capable of finding an outfit to wear, brushing my teeth, finding a flattering way to do both my hair and my makeup, and transporting myself to the park. I'm fine with that. But is it so wrong that I would have liked it a lot more if Becky was with me? Someone to give me an opinion before I left the door? I could look so awful right now and not even know it (which, oh my god, I don't even want to think about that. I'm going to give myself a panic attack.)

Really, I mean I know I've never had one before, but is it too much to ask for a friend?

...

Becky felt bad.

_That is a massive understatement, _She thought bitterly. She felt awful about this whole thing. She wanted this, wanted to be Grace's friend. She wanted to be able to go to Grace's house so they can talk about boys and school and makeup and _for the love of God _she wanted to be normal.

It was hard to be normal when your father was still towering over your head, glowering down at you.

"So we're throwing this away now?" He asked calmly, "Just going to throw away all this preparation?"

Becky hung her head silently.

"If I had gone, it would have thrown everything away anyway. At least now my cover still hasn't been blown." She said quietly. She hated having to come up with things like that. She wanted to go hang out with Grace- but because of the company she was keeping today, that was an impossibility.

"What do you mean?" Her father asked, only slightly calmer.

"She's hanging out with Benjamin Kabra today. He knows me- for Christ's sakes, he was at _Christmas dinner_ last year! He'll take one look at me and it'll all be over." Becky elected for a firmer voice, showing that she had control over her emotions, and the current situation.

She almost smiled at the look her father gave her- an _oh crap, she's right, _look.

"I would hate to see all of this hard work go to hell, Rebecca. I hope you understand at least that much."

"I understand." Becky mumbled.

...

If there was one thing Benjamin Kabra could count on, it was the fact that there was never a dull moment in his life when Emily was around.

_If there was every any doubt surrounding Emily's branch_, he thought now, _that was certainly cleared right up. _

"Are you almost ready? We're supposed to leave soon." He asked the closed bathroom door, which Emily was on the other side of.

The door swung open then, revealing the girl in question standing in the doorway.

"Well shit, Em. Cleavage much?"

Emily was wearing a dress that left very, _very _little to the imagination. Her thick hair was curled to perfection and piled on top of her head, and she looked very proud of herself.

"You do realize," Benjamin continued, "That we're going to a park, right? A _park. _With _children."_

"Well that's why I brought a sweater." Emily said, as if that should have been obvious from the start.

"Does it cover your entire body?" Benjamin asked, "Because I have to be honest with you, love, I'm having some serious big-brother-bear reactions to this, and I feel the need to cover you up. Preferably in something very baggy."

"Aww, aren't you a dear." Emily said condescendingly, patting Benjamin's cheek. "Besides, this is for your best interest, darling, you know that."

"For the best interest of all the perverts in that park, too." Benjamin grumbled.

Emily smiled, and Benjamin wasn't sure if it was meant to be menacing or sweet.

"It's either this or that shirt that I _know _you hate, dear."

"... The red one?"

Emily nodded, "The red one."

Benjamin grumbled incoherently.

"Fine. But when you get hit on by every guy in that park, don't expect me to help you."

"Oh, but you will anyway."

Benjamin smiled, "You know me too well."

Emily smiled again, but this time Benjamin knew it was genuine.

...

Benjamin had questioned Emily's sanity many times, but never had he done it as much as yesterday.

The two of them were talking, already well on their way to falling back into their comfortable routine, when Emily stood up out of nowhere, wrapped an arm around Benjamin's head, and downright _attacked _his mouth. Benjamin, of course, was more confused than he could ever remember being, especially since Emily's eyes were open too, making it twice as awkward as it already was. He felt Emily's lips turn up into a smile before she pulled away, looking calmly and expectantly at him.

"I'm sorry Em, excuse my French here, but _what the actual fuck _was that?"

Emily merely smirked.

"I'm just saving your love life, Kabra, you can thank me at any time."

"Saving... What?" Benjamin glared down at her.

"I know you like her. You obviously really like her. I can't say I'm exactly thrilled about it, because she can only come with baggage like _woah, _being Amy Cahill's daughter, but I'll be happy if you're happy, Benj."

Benjamin felt his face heat up, much to Emily's amusement.

"You didn't answer my question." He said, in a vain attempt to change the subject.

"Please, Ben, if there's one thing I know, it's what goes on in a Madrigal's head. It's been drilled in my head since the day I was born. I knew that if she liked you, she wouldn't just leave me alone in here with you. Which is why it was _so great _to see her on that balcony over there." She gestured causally towards the window.

"_What?" _Benjamin demanded, rushing over to the balcony.

"Oh, she's long gone, now." Emily said, now lounging on the hotel bed.

"So what was... _That?" _Benjamin's arms were waving all over the place. Emily chuckled.

"You should have seen her face. It was glorious, Ben, really. If I could have taped it, I would have. But more importantly, it proves that your Grace is just as smitten with you as you are with her. It's rather adorable, really. Cavity- inducing, even."

"So you just... Raped my mouth... To see if Grace _likes me?_"

"Yes, that just about sums it up, actually." Emily nodded brightly.

Benjamin burst out laughing, sitting beside Emily on the bed and swinging an arm around her.

"Well then, thank you."

"Oh, don't start thanking me just yet." Emily said, "We've only just begun."

Three hours later and Emily was sitting at her usual spot in the Kabra's attic, like she had never left. Benjamin caught himself smiling at her. It always made him happy to think that, no matter what kind of craziness that went on in his life, Emily would always be the constant to his variable.

"What's that?" She asked suddenly, pointing at a corner of the room that seemed, somehow, to be less dusty than the rest of it.

Benjamin tilted his head. "I'm not actually sure." He said.

"Looks like an old Morse Code machine."

"Is that the technical term?" Benjamin asked bemusedly.

"Yes." Emily replied haughtily, walking over to inspect it further.

As if on que, the machine started beeping, transmitting a message.

**.. .- -. ..-.. .. - .-. ... -. .-. .- -.-. . .-.-.- **_Ian? It's Grace._

"Huh." Emily said, "Well this is interesting."

Before Benjamin could stop her, she had typed out a response.

**-.- . ... ..-.. **_Yes?_

**.. - - .-.. -.. ... . .-. .-.-.- - . .-.. .-.. -... . -. .- .- - .. -. - - ... . -. -.. - . .- - . ... ... .- -. . .- ... . -. ... . -.-. .- -. .-.-.- **_I told her. Tell Benjamin to send me a message when he can._

Emily looked up at Benjamin curiously.

"Well, I do believe I just came up with a plan, darling."

...

They aren't going to stand me up, are they?

Oh God, they wouldn't. They wouldn't.

Wait. Let me rephrase that.

Benjamin wouldn't. Emily? I don't doubt it for a second.

Crap crap crap crap.

I started pacing back and forth, my boots crunching in the snow. After about the third lap, I crashed into a prostitute.

Oy Vey, my life is so seriously screwed up.

The hooker in question was wearing the tightest dress I have ever seen. I swear, I think she melted herself and poured that into her dress. I'm not even trying to be mean here, I honestly thought she was a prostitute.

That is, until I realized she was latched onto the arm of none other than Benjamin Kabra.

Oh god, here we go.

...

"That's a... really nice dress, Emily. Where'd you get it?"

This trying to be polite thing is going to kill me. I honestly kind of want to rip her lips off.

Emily smiled. Goddamn smile.

"Oh, just this little place. You've probably never heard of it."

Okay, resisting the urge to cut a bitch. Resist, resist, _resist. _

"Yeah, I guess we don't really shop at the same places." You filthy whore. Oh crap, that was mean. Like, more mean than usual. I take that back.

"I guess not. I mean, I have more... expensive taste." I take back taking that back.

Emily was practically sitting in Benjamin's lap, calling him _sweetheart _and _darling _and _Benj, _which Benjamin doesn`t seem to mind _at all._

"Oh, hey. Look at my nonexistent watch, I have to go." I intoned, and got up to leave. I'm not just going to sit there while these two are all but making out in front of me. (which they've already done.)

Emily smirked, and _oh god how I want to smack her._

"Then that's my que to leave. Good luck, Benjy. You know what to do." And with that, she kissed Benjamin on the cheek and _skipped _out of the Starbucks that we were in.

"Walk with me?" Benjamin asked, almost-but-not-quite stumbling on his words.

I nodded silently.

...

I pretty much figured that this would be the kind of walk where Benjamin starts by explaining about Emily, goes on about how amazing she is, and leaves me in the dust to eat full cartons of Ben and Jerry's.

So I was surprised as hell when he took my hand.

I looked at him, my face heating despite the cold. He raised an eyebrow, as if he was saying, "are you okay with this?"

I kept walking and squeezed his hand slightly, hoping that was answer enough.


	11. Chapter 11

**Long story short: I had absolutely KILLER writer's block that just passed a few hours ago. Updates will still be sporadic, unfortunately, as I'm working 50-hour weeks all summer and I can only write on weekends. **

**One more point of interest: If you have a tumblr, follow me at youdidntseenanything, or just anon message me to say hi or pester me about updates, or prompt a drabble, because drabbles are so much easier for me to write than actual long chapters. So if you need a fix of angst or fluff or whatever, prompt away. The 39 clues fandom on there consists of about 5 people, but that's okay. xD**

**Kind of a short chapter, but at least I know where the whole fic's going now, so enjoy! :3**

This is so awkward. And I don't mean the ironic, hipster kind of awkward.

Nope, this is easily the most awkward situation I have ever been in. Ever. There is no going forward from this point. The awkward capacity has been reached. Shit shit _shit, _I never thought I'd want Emily back, but at least then Benjamin would have someone else to look at, instead of staring into my very soul like he is now.

Okay, I wanted this. This is what I wanted. I was so jealous of Emily being so close to Benjamin, getting to kiss him, because I wanted to be her. So I shouldn't be freaking out right now.

But oh my _god, _this is awkward.

I have no idea if Benjamin has a destination in mind, and so we're slowly (and did I mention _awkwardly?) _walking down the street and back in the general direction of the park. We're still holding hands, but I honestly don't think he intends on speaking this entire time.

Fuck it.

"So..." I start, inwardly cringing at myself.

"Right. So." He says stiffly, but determinedly, and drops my hand so he can grab me by the shoulders and spin me to face him.

"I am so sorry, Grace." He says earnestly, "I have been a complete twat to you."

"Well..." I try to think of a convincing argument against what he said, and fail. "Yeah, you sort of have. But I mean it's none of my business what you do, really. I mean, I sort of thought... But never mind. I kind of wish you had told me what was going on earlier, but..." I let my voice trail off, realizing I probably just admitted way more than I had intended to.

"I know. I should have just laid everything out there in the beginning. It would have probably sent you running, but at least I could have said it."

Wait, what?

"What are you apologizing for?" I ask, eyebrows furrowed.

"... What do you _think_ I'm apologizing for?"

"For not telling me about you and Emily, obviously. What else would you apologize for?" great, now things are awkward _and _confusing. It's like a bo-go sale of socially inept conversation.

"Emily? Shit, right. No. Okay. Erm. Okay. So Emily thought that you wouldn't leave me in a room alone with her, and she saw you climb on the hotel balcony and so she kissed me to see what your reaction would be. Right after she saw you leave she stopped. Neither of us liked it, I can promise you that much."

Well that's some new information.

"So... She wanted to see... To see if I..." I stammer out.

"Yes, um, to see if you... yes."

c

"She figured that you, um... yes."

We stand there facing each other for a while, not sure whether to smile or awkwardly look away

"But then what were you actually apologizing for?" I asked.

Benjamin averted his eyes, then took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and looked me in the eye. It reminded me of that kiss in Dan's car- he decided that he wanted this, and went for it no matter what the consequences.

"I was apologizing for ever confusing you about Emily, but also confusing you in general. Em, I would assume, has a better understanding of the opposite sex than I do, and she gave me a right stern lecture for keeping you 'hanging.' I wanted to apologize for that, and then... clarify."

"Clarify?" I asked, hating myself for how hopeful my voice sounded. A bit of the old Benjamin came back when he heard that, because he was smirking slightly when he responded.

"Yes, clarify." He took another deep breath, but kept his eyes focused on me.

"Grace Cahill, I'm quite certain that you're the best thing that could possibly have happened to me. I'm so, so sorry for ever leaving you confused, especially about a particular girl that is one of my best friends and who is also more than slightly insane, but who is, to clarify, _just a friend. _I can't even begin to explain how you've opened my eyes to things that I should have been exposed to before, and it's like you're giving me my childhood. I will truly _never _be able to thank you enough for that. Also, on top of that, I... fancyyouquiteabit."

"Sorry, what was that last part?" I asked, grinning widely now.

"Fine. Grace, I fancy you. A great deal. Happy now?"

So we all know by now that I'm not the best at social situations. The fact that I burst out laughing after that confession can act as further proof.

"Grace?" Benjamin asked, looking, quite frankly, terrified. "Maybe I misunderstood, I'm so sorry, I can just leave now, God I'm going to _murder _Em later-"

"No, no!" I interrupted between bursts of laughter. "No, I'm sorry. It's just... That was very British of you. I wasn't expecting that."

"Would you rather I put on an American accent and say something along the lines of 'ay baby, what do I gotta do to get wit you?'" he asked, sending me into more (slightly hysterical, I will admit.) fits of laughter.

"No, It wasn't the way you said it, that was so sweet and I promise I feel the same way, I do. It was just... The word you chose. _Fancy. _It just conjured images of like, feathered hats and long dresses, or something, and..." I cut myself off and laughed some more.

I looked up at Benjamin from where I was slightly crouched over from laughing, to see him grinning hugely.

"I'm sorry, I'm sure that was a very nice explanation, Grace, but to be perfectly honest I stopped listening after '_I feel the same way.'_"

"Well that was rude. It was a marvellous expl-"

And then I was cut off.

By Benjamin's mouth.

Because it was kind of attached to mine.

And I was _finally _kissing Benjamin Kabra again.

And somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew he partially did it to shut me up, but I mean, hey, whatever works, right?

I'm not complaining.

...

Emily smiled to herself from her lookout position once she saw Benjamin _finally _step up and kiss his girl, but her victory was cut short when she saw a familiar red head dart into a store across the street. She immediately left her post (up a tree by a fence, flattened against a strong branch) and rushed to where she saw the girl go.

"Well hey there, cousin." She said, falsely bright.

Becky visibly jumped, then shrank against the shelf slightly.

"What a coincidence seeing you here!" Emily continued, "I was just thinking it's been far too long since I saw dad's side of the family. So how are things?"

Emily wasn't fooling Becky for a second and she knew it. She might as well have screamed _'the fuck are you doing here?'_

Emily pressed on, loosing any pretence of friendliness.

"Okay so you need to listen now. I have no idea what you're planning, but since we share a common branch... or at least half of one." she looked disdainfully at the taller girl. "I feel as if I should let you in on something. Benjamin is my best friend and Grace makes him happy. I have no idea what you're planning to do with this information, and, trust me, I could suggest a variety of places where you could shove it, but that's all you need to know. Go run to your loyal little Ekats and tell them that your savior's daughter's gone to the dark side, I really don't care. I've decided I like Grace, despite her questionable lineage, so you aren't wrecking anything for her."

Becky looked as if she was about to protest, then thought better of it and nodded before turning around to leave. Emily stopped her.

"Oh, and Becky, love?" She called, "_Do _let my favourite uncle know I said hi. That is, if he can hear you."


	12. Chapter 12

**Yay chapter 12 yaay~ xD**

**Did you guys read the Medusa Plot? Holy shit, wasn't it spectacular? It's officially my favourite. I just love everyone talking to each other and being friends and Jonah and Hamilton are like, the bromance for the ages. It's just awesome. If you haven't read it, GO READ IT NOW. THIS ISN'T NEARLY AS GOOD AS THE BOOK GO READ IT.**

**Also, while we're on the topic of things you should read, you should go read my friend Emily's new 39 clues fic. (If you didn't already gather it, that's where Emily's name and appearance came from :3) It's really good, and there's a badass main character and it's good and there will be Amy/Ian and yay everything's good so go remove replace the (dots) with . and remove the spaces go read it. :D **

**http:/www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net / s /7351096/ 1 / A_Lucian_Upbringing**

_11 years ago_

"Do you have it or not Becky?"

"I _do, _but your mom said-"

"It doesn't _matter _what her mum said, Rebecca. Just hand it over."

"Please?"

"... Fine. But when your mom yells at us for eating before dinner, don't blame me."

And with that, three pairs of six-year-old hands ripped open the bag of candy Becky had brought from America.

The three cousins- Emily, Benjamin, and Becky- were sitting in Benjamin's bedroom in the Kabras' house in England for a family gathering. As was the norm, Becky had brought candy that Benjamin couldn't find in England, and Emily couldn't find in Australia. The trio had discovered a year or so ago that American candy was the best (in their humble 6-year-old opinions), and Becky, being a good cousin, made sure to bring some with her whenever the visited.

Visiting each other was a common occurrence. Their parents would sit at a big table with Isabel Kabra at the head, talking about things the children couldn't understand. It was because of this Emily and Becky knew the Kabra house like the backs of their (rather sticky, currently) hands. While the grown-ups talked about family things, the kids were free to go exploring.

"Em and I made a fort." Benjamin said excitedly then- Emily had arrived a few days prior to Becky on this particular visit.

"Show me!" Becky said delightedly. The cousins were very good at building things.

Benjamin led the two girls down the hall and up a flight of stairs, finally bringing them to the attic of the Kabra estate.

The fort did not disappoint. Despite the fact that its only two builders were six years old, grown men trained in architecture probably couldn't compete with it. The entire attic level was decked out in sheets, tunnels had been created, and there were three separate wings to it.

"And look what Em made it do!" Benjamin said happily. He flicked a switch and suddenly Christmas lights started twinkling all around them. Becky started jumping around happily before throwing herself onto the pillows her cousins had placed in the corner, giggling.

"That wasn't hard, look what _Ben _made it do!" Emily said, gesturing to a TV screen. She turned it on and there were the parents, Isabel Kabra at the table. Benjamin frowned at the lack of audio, fiddled with the wires, and then they could make out the low voices of their parents.

"We get to be _spies." _Becky whispered.

The trio quickly settled themselves in front of the screen, bag of candy laid out in front of them, to watch the show.

"Clearly it worked wonderfully." Isabel's cold voice was the first thing they heard. "Benjamin, I know, is already more agile than the teenagers we train at the stronghold." Benjamin smiled proudly at the praise from his grandmother.

"That doesn't change the fact that there are still... Episodes, where it's difficult to calm the children down." Said Sinead, Benjamin's mother.

"Details." Isabel said dismissively. "What matters is the fact that this is the dawn of a new breed of Lucian. And you even get something out of it, Sinead. You know Benjamin is fond of playing with those electronics. It appears it worked just as well for the Ekaterina side of our deal."

"My concern is, and always will be, for the safety of the children." Ted Starling said. "Becky doesn't seem to remember what happened after she comes down from an _episode, _as my sister put it. But the way she screams during them- she must be in pain."

"This branch was _built _on pain." Isabel said cooly.

"I don't belong to _this branch, _Isabel, and it's always my job to keep my daughter healthy and happy."

"She's healthier than any child her age." Said Isabel sharply. "And would you not be happy, had you the amount of power her and the others have?

Ian and Natalie kept quiet.

"It's time for phase two." Isabel said with finality. "You are to give the children concentrated doses in their food bi-weekly. Following a successful transition, we will up the dosage."

"Mother, we don't know what that might do. You said yourself you weren't sure how it would affect the children once they were born." Natalie finally piped up. Emily watched her mother curiously, having no idea what the adults were talking about.

Isabel regarded her daughter the way most people regard gum stuck to the bottom of their shoe.

"Do not disappoint me as you have in the past, Natalie." Emily's mother flinched at the mention of past disappointments. She knew that Isabel was still mad at her for the events surrounding the clue hunt, that's why she was sent to live and 'observe' in Australia, the one place she never wanted to see again.

"This is the dawn of a new era." Isabel said triumphantly. "Once the children are ready, we make our move."

"Our move?" Ian spoke up, quietly, for the first time.

"An attack." Isabel said. "On the Madrigal strongholds across the world, simultaneously. We hit Amy Cahill first."

Ian flinched slightly at the sound of Amy's name. Sinead squeezed his hand slightly.

The slightly awkward atmosphere was suddenly interrupted by Ted Starling standing up, hate evident in his eyes.

"So what." He exploded. "You've been building them up to see them die? Been making child soldiers for your sick game with the Cahills?"

"Sit down, Ted." Ian murmured.

"What's my dad doing?" Becky asked quietly.

"No!" Ted was saying, "I will not _sit down. _I let you turn my daughter into this... _Thing _and I'm not going to stand for it anymore! We're leaving. Don't try to contact us."

And with that, Ted Starling stormed out of the room.

Benjamin slowly got up and cut the feed, leaving a black screen. He and Emily looked carefully at Becky.

"I don't... Wh... Why... What was sh..." Becky's eyes seemed to go dark, and she opened her mouth widely. Emily quickly looked up at Benjamin, who looked as panicked as she felt. They knew what was happening, it happened to them often enough.

Benjamin grabbed onto Becky's arm and tried to lead her to the pillows she had fallen on before, but as soon as he touched her she let out a loud gasp.

"Don'ttouchme. Don'ttouchme, don'ttouchme." Becky was shaking her head back and forth furiously. Her breathing had sped up and her mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water.

"Lay down. Just lay down Becky." Emily said, noting there were already tears in the other little girl's eyes.

Becky let out a shrill scream and carefully lowered herself onto the pillows. That made her gasp and let out another shriek.

"Hurts." She said, her voice slightly slurred. "Hurtshurts_hurts!" _she let out a final scream, this one louder and longer than the other two. She tried to stand up, but Emily and Benjamin held her down- they were strong for their age, after all.

"DON'T TOUCH ME." Becky screamed, trying to get her hands around Benjamin's neck. Emily pinned her hands above her head.

After a while, Becky just lay there and screamed. When that stopped, she started hyperventilating slightly, until her breathing calmed. She lay there crying while Emily smoothed back her hair, letting go of her hands.

"You told your dad you don't remember what happens?" Emily asked when Becky was calm enough. Becky nodded.

"I did the same thing." Benjamin said.

"So did I," said Emily.

"Becky?" Ted's voice drifted up to the attic.

"Up here." Benjamin called.

When Ted saw Becky, almost asleep, drenched in sweat, face wet with tears, he knew what happened.

"Beck and I are going home, okay you two?" Ted said.

"Okay..." Emily said.

"Bye Becky," said Benjamin.

"See you soon." Emily called to the retreating figure of Ted Starling, carrying his daughter away.

It would be seven years before they saw each other again.

...

Benjamin was whipped.

He knows this because Emily's sitting on his couch, and she just told him.

It really wasn't his fault that he was freaking out, though. In his defence, Grace has always been new territory, and he's always felt awkward in new situations. He didn't want to feel awkward around Grace anymore, though, so he recruited the only girl he really knew, and that was Emily.

"Really though, Ben," She was saying now, "you're being quite the little girl about this. I went through a lot to get you this chance, don't screw it up now."

"You forget that I went through a lot to get it too, Em." Benjamin said, "Including kissing my _cousin. _And we aren't just 39 clues-cousins. We're _first _cousins. I don't think I will ever recover."

"Rest assured it was just as good for me as it was for you." Emily said sarcastically.

"Really though," Benjamin said, holding up two different shirts, "which one?"

Emily pointed at the left shirt, and Benjamin nodded.

"I saw Becky the other day." Emily said carefully. Benjamin froze.

"Becky Starling?" Benjamin asked.

"Why would I tell you about a Becky other than Becky Starling?"

"What was she doing?"

"She... She was lurking around you and Grace. I don't know what she was looking for."

"_Shit." _Benjamin cursed. "What'd you do?"

"Caught up with her, told her to leave you guys alone."

"What are we going to do?" Benjamin asked.

"_I _am going to keep an eye out for her. _You _on the other hand- you have a date."

...

Wow.

I think this is honestly the first time I've felt like a normal teenage girl.

I could get used to this.

Benjamin and I had dinner at this place that made me feel like a clichéd girl from the 50s, all jukeboxes and milkshakes and waitresses on roller-skates, and now we were walking around a mall (holding hands, thankyouverymuch.) that contained a full-on amusement park. It was open late tonight, being Saturday, but most of the little kids were at home by now, so it was mostly teenagers and adults milling around.

I had been so worried that things were going to be awkward, but it was just like before- except we kissed more, which, y'know, I'm not about to complain about.

Speaking of that...

I leaned up (bastard had like 4 inches on me) and kissed Benjamin on the cheek. He grinned and looked down at me.

"Any particular reason for that?" He said, still smiling.

"'Cause I can." I said honestly. That made Benjamin's smile widen, and he turned to face me, holding me by the sides of my face and leaning in to kiss me. We had to stop because we were smiling too widely.

And just when I thought I could be normal for half a second, the shit hit the fan. Again.

(God, that's an awful expression, isn't it?)

Benjamin and I leapt apart when we heard a loud scream coming from the McDonalds in the mall- we immediately ran towards the noise.

When we got there, I saw Becky lying on the ground, her eyes blown open, staring at nothing, and screaming bloody murder.

The second thing I noticed was Emily, trying to keep her on the ground.

Benjamin and I said two things then in perfect synchronization. First, "Becky?" Then, "You _know _her?"

"Benny, help me." Emily said in a scared voice. Benjamin sprung into action, kneeling down beside Becky, who was still screaming, and pinning her hands above her head.

"_Don't touch me!"_ Becky shrieked, trying to get her legs free. I was frozen in place, watching Emily and Benjamin do this so casually, like they do it all the time.

"Becky." Benjamin said calmly, smoothing back her hair with his free hand, "Beck, you're okay. Work at it, try and calm down, we're right here."

Becky was still screaming, but she blinked in recognition and the scream died in her throat suddenly. She started panting quickly, before her breath evened out and she looked from Benjamin to Emily worriedly.

"Jesus." Benjamin said, "You never... You still...?"

"Yes." Becky said, still panting slightly.

"They told us... Oh God." Emily said, and quickly hugged Becky.

I was still standing there awkwardly.

Emily stood up and addressed the crowd that had gathered.

"It's okay, everyone. Our cousin has epilepsy, this is very common and she's fine now. There's no need to worry about her."

I knew a cover story when I heard one.

"Can you please tell me what the _fuck _just happened?" I hissed to Benjamin, who was still smoothing back Becky's hair (Notjealous, Notjealous.).

"Tell her." Becky said. "It's fine, we'll figure something out after, but she should know."

Benjamin sighed, then looked up at me resignedly.

"We have a story to tell you, Grace."


	13. Chapter 13

**HahahahaHAHAHAHA I'm awful. Seriously awful. Plus side though, I won NaNoWriMo this year! Though I'm sure none of you care because I'm awful.**

**Before I let you go ahead with this _long _overdue chapter, I just want to quickly dedicate it to the small but mighty tumblr 39 Clues fandom, for getting me off my ass and putting up with me rambling about how _no guys, Ian and Sinead totally made out during The Medusa Plot, _and my theories about Sinead Starling, the hipster.**

**Also, one more thing—there's a mention of Evan in this chapter, which doesn't exactly make sense. This fic ignores everything after about book nine. But I sort of love Evan Tolliver. A lot. I didn't before, but the fandom made me love him. So seriously, he is my baby, and if I see any hate in the reviews I will literally _smite _you with the angry fist of God. **

_Four years ago_

"—So really, it wasn't my _fault _that the building burnt down, because I didn't _mean _for it to burn down, y'know, _completely. _And if they didn't want me to retaliate, perhaps they should have learned my name, instead of calling me _that kid from Australia." _

"It looked like you wanted to burn the whole thing down, though." Benjamin said, looking at his cousin with a raised eyebrow, dubious. "You poured enough gasoline on the place, anyway."

"Details." Emily said, waving a hand dismissively.

"She took matters into her own hands, Benjamin." Isabel Kabra said proudly, planting her hands on her niece's shoulders and smiling slightly. "You should be proud."

"I _am." _Benjamin said, pouting at the attention Emily was receiving, but shaking it off. "But where's she going to go to school now? They'll never let her back in there now."

"You know how persuasive grandmother can be." Emily said with a smirk far too cunning for a 13-year-old. Isabel positively _beamed _at her, giving Emily that happy feeling she always got when she did something her grandmother approved of.

"I have to take care of a few things. I trust the two of you won't do anything stupid while I'm gone." Benjamin and Emily shook their heads furiously, and Isabel appraised them before disappearing in the crowd at the market they were at.

Benjamin and Emily weren't too sure what they were doing at a farmers' market, mostly because usually when they were in the city Isabel made sure to steer them away from places like this, crowded with poor people selling things. (Isabel's words.)

_Years later, they would happen upon a newspaper with a death-anniversary in the obituaries. A man who had a stand at the market choked to death. The dates matched up perfectly. _

Benjamin wasn't too sure about that, though. All the sounds and colors around him seemed more than a little interesting, at the very least. Emily was worse than him with stuff like this. He would glance at her occasionally, to see her sneering down at whoever happened to cross her path.

"Let's go." He said, tugging at her arm. He smelled what was quite possibly the best thing he had ever smelled in his life a little further down, and he wanted to investigate. And eat. Investigate and eat.

When they were at the source of the delicious smell (which, as it turns out, was a bagel stand. Benjamin didn't think bagels should be allowed to be so good because _oh my god.), _Benjamin senses Emily tensing from the other end of the counter, where she was still paying for her food. He had never really thought about how he could just _know _that his cousin had suddenly tensed up, but he did, and it came in handy most often.

"Hey there." Came an oily voice. A man who was probably at least triple Emily's age was leering down at her, obviously checking out her chest. Benjamin saw red.

"She's _thirteen, _you sick fuck." He growled, grabbing his cousin by the arm and hauling her away. He had said it loud enough that the people standing in line had turned to glare at the man, which Benjamin was grateful for, because it meant that the guy could be seen as the pervert that he was, but it also made sure he didn't snap and beat the crap out of him. He couldn't, with this many witnesses—that was something grandmother would classify as _stupid, _for sure.

"I wanted to break his nose." Emily complained, but let herself be dragged to the farthest possible corner of the market.

"And I didn't? There were too many people." Benjamin swore. "I wish you'd stop drawing attention to yourself like that. I don't mind beating people up, but I don't want to get arrested."

"Like you'd spend more than thirty seconds in jail. And it's not my fault, okay? I haven't gone shopping in a while, and these are new! They just snuck up on me one day! I'm not used to having to worry about popping out." By the end of her speech Emily was clutching at her chest, looking down sadly.

"That… That was really more than I ever needed to know. So thank you for that."

"You brought it up." Emily shrugged.

"Can we please just try and find grandmother so we can leave?" Benjamin asked, sighing.

"We probably shouldn't go looking for her." Emily said, chewing on her lip. "We might interrupt… whatever it is she was doing."

Benjamin had been listening to his cousin, until he saw a flash of red hair and a face that was far too familiar.

"Em." He said, cutting her off. Emily looked disgruntled at the interruption until she saw the look on Benjamin's face.

"What is is?" She said, eyes darting around and automatically sinking into a crouch.

"I think… I think that's Becky."

"What?" Emily hissed, looking behind her and seeing the girl Benjamin was looking at. There was no denying that she was looking at Becky Starling.

Emily steeled herself and wordlessly marched over to the cousin she hadn't seen in seven years, since that last time in Benjamin's attic.

"What are _you _doing here?" She spat when she reached her target. Becky's face lit up when she saw Emily, grinning widely and going in for a hug. Emily pushed her away roughly.

"Don't touch me." She hissed. By this point, Benjamin had come up behind Emily. Becky looked at him pleadingly, until she saw that his face matched Emily's.

"I don't… Why are you so angry at me?" She whispered.

Emily growled, low in her throat and barely human, and lunged at her cousin. Benjamin just managed to hold her back, but he wasn't sure if he really wanted to.

"Just leave, Becky." He said stonily. Becky took a deep breath, as if she was waiting to see if they would reconsider, then backed away from her cousins and left the market.

"How dare she show her face around here?" Emily said.

"Em, she couldn't have known that we were here. It's our first time coming here."

"Maybe she _did _know! Did you consider that? Maybe she knew, and she was planning something, but she's too much of a chickenshit to actually do it!" Emily was positively _shaking _with rage now, and Benjamin knew that if he didn't calm her down soon he would have to deal with a completely different problem, and grandmother didn't like them having episodes in public areas.

"Em, Em calm down." He said soothingly. "She's gone now."

Emily slowly nodded, trying to calm herself.

"What are we going to tell grandmother?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"I'd like to say we don't have to tell her anything—"

"—But yeah, she'd find out. She always does."

"We could try?" Benjamin asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Emily confirmed.

Isabel, of course, _did _find out. But she knew the meeting was going to happen before Benjamin and Emily did anyway, so it didn't exactly matter.

…

_Ames, I love you. You know I love you, love you so much. She's so beautiful, the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen in my entire life. How is she? I hope she's okay, but I know I don't have to worry about that. You raised her, there's no way she could be anything less than perfect. I love you…_

"Mph, no… Come back… Can't do it alone…"

"_Amy?"_

Amy started fully awake, groaning and stretching, wiping the tears the nightmare had caused. She looked down when she realized she was holding something, and there was her phone. Apparently, she was on hour ten of a phone call with…

"Ian? What happened?" She asked groggily.

"_You fell asleep. We were talking about how to let Grace and Benjamin be together without putting them in danger, and you just fell asleep."_

Amy laughed sheepishly. "Haven't done that in a while, huh?" She asked. She heard Ian's warm chuckle.

"_No, we haven't. Are you okay? I tried to wake you up when I thought you weren't having the best dream ever." _

"I wasn't, thanks." She said, sighing. "They're coming more often now, for some reason. The nightmares, I mean. But I guess they aren't nightmares, not really. It's just… It's just him. Just Hamilton. Talking to me. Asking me how I am. I guess that's what's so scary about them. I know he hasn't said anything to me in _years, _so listening to his voice is so unnerving. It makes me miss him _so much."_ Amy wasn't sure why she was admitting all of this, and to Ian Kabra of all people, but something about the situation—speaking in hushed voices in the dark, the only light the screen of her phone—was so familiar, like coming home after a long vacation. It felt natural to keep Ian on the phone, to keep talking.

Ian didn't respond to her, but she knew it was just because he understood the gravity of the situation, didn't want to disturb it.

"Thanks for staying on the phone with me. They usually get worse later."

"_Of course."_ Ian said. _"I suppose I'm still a little used to it. Staying up on the phone with you, that is."_

Amy could feel herself blushing against her will.

"What time is it now?" She asked, changing the subject.

"_Just past three."_ Amy groaned.

"So I guess I should go back to sleep." She said, then hesitated. "Would it be out of line if I asked you… If I asked if…"

"_I'll stay on the line." _Ian said, reading her mind like he had always been so good at.

"Thank you." Amy said, before falling asleep again. She didn't have a single nightmare, and when she woke up in the morning, it was to the sound of Ian's steady breathing through the phone.

_Say what you want about Ian Kabra, _Amy thought, _but you can never say he isn't a man of his word. _

…

Sometimes, I just really, _really _wish I could be even a little bit normal.

Benjamin, Becky, Emily, and I were in Emily's hotel room, sprawled across the bed that was big enough to fit all of us and possibly a rugby team (plus mascot). I was still waiting for the explanation, but I kept getting distracted because Benjamin was lying down on his side and I had curled into him, and every so often he would stroke his thumb across the back of my neck and making me forget how breathing worked.

"That night, when I wouldn't tell you my last name." Becky started quietly. I nodded at her to continue. "Starling. My name is Becky Starling."

My jaw dropped—not because I couldn't believe Becky was a Starling, but because I hadn't noticed it sooner. She was the spitting image of one of the Starling triplets—not in her hair or eyes, but in her bone structure.

"So your father…"

"Is Ted Starling." She nodded. "Grace, I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you, I wanted to tell you _so badly, _but my dad would have been _furious." _

"So you're all cousins. First cousins."

"Yes." Emily said. "My mother is Natalie Kabra, and Benjamin's parents connect Becky and I. His father is Ian Kabra, obviously, and his mom is Sinead Starling."

"Who's your father?" I asked Emily. She bit her lip.

"I… It's not that I don't want you to know, I'm just… I'm sort of ashamed."

"Ashamed of your father?"

"No, never! I would never be ashamed of him, I love him. But he's only my father because my grandmother wanted to embarrass and hurt your mother more than she already had."

"That's a pretty difficult thing to do." I said.

"She did it." Emily said, looking down. "My father was your mother's first boyfriend. My grandmother wanted to show her how much control she had, and she knew it would embarrass her too. It was a double win for her."

"What's his name?" I asked. I had never heard much of my mother's love life, pre-Ian and my father.

"Evan." She said, averting her eyes again. "Evan Tolliver."

"So your name is actually Emily Tolliver?" I asked.

"No. My grandmother made him take my mother's name."

"Why does she have so much control over you all? I mean, right down to the person you marry?"

"That's the other part of the story." Benjamin said from behind me, breath ticking my neck.

"She wanted a master generation. The power of an army in three kids." Becky said solemnly, and not without resentment.

"We were that army." Emily continued. "She collected the ingredients for the serum, that was phase one for her."

"Phase two was arranging the marriages. She talked to the heads of other branches, but none of them would listen to her. So she started with Evan Tolliver." Benjamin said.

"He was a special case. Honorary Madrigal after he dated Amy, but he distanced himself after they broke up. There were rumours he had gone to the Vespers, but those were never confirmed."

"He was perfect for her plan." Becky said.

"What exactly _was _her plan?" I asked, feeling a growing sense of dread when I realized I had a pretty good idea what the plan was.

"She was going to arrange these marriages, but really she was arranging children. She figured if she had two different branches, the kid would already be powerful. Add 39 special ingredients to their bottle, and she'd be set." Emily said.

"And it worked." Benjamin said. "We have almost super-human strength. We can run a mile without breaking a sweat. We have this special _sense _for each other. It's like we can always tell what the other two are thinking, what they're about to do."

"Oh, it worked." Becky agreed. "But there was a cost."

"We didn't take to the formula too well, being exposed to it at such a young age." Emily explained. "Sometimes, it ends badly."

"Like today, at the mall." I said.

"Like today." Becky said, nodding and shuddering a little at the memory.

"Becky's dad wasn't a fan of what Isabel was doing, he just realized too late that it was completely wrong. He took Becky away when we were six, and Isabel started feeding us lies."

"She told us that Ted had cured Becky of her episodes. She wanted to make us jealous of her, and it worked. The thought that she could betray us like that, be totally fixed while we still had an episode a week, at least, was too much." Benjamin said, squeezing my arm slightly.

"You've never had one around me." I muttered to him.

"That was luck, mostly." He replied. "Luck, and you have this sort of calming effect on me. I'm not sure what it is, but sometimes it helps if I can feel the very beginnings of one coming. Thinking of you can hold it back a little."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I turned back to Becky.

"And what about you? I know you weren't actually cured, so what happened?"

"My dad had turned Emily and Benjamin into these… monsters." She said. "He told me that their episodes had gotten worse, before he realized that that just made me want to see them more, to make sure they were okay. So he changed tactics. He told me that they had started to like having the episodes; he said that it made them stronger, and less human. He said they were jealous of me, for being able to get out. He made me live in fear of my two best friends."

Benjamin and Emily exhaled sharply. I realized that they had never heard Becky's side of the story, that this was as much of a shock to them as it was to me. I curled into Benjamin some more.

Emily suddenly leapt at Becky, hugging her tightly and apologizing under her breath to her. Becky held on just as tightly. Benjamin placed a hand on Becky's shoulder, and she looked up gratefully.

"My dad… He told me that they were going to try and recruit you." She said to me now. "He had seen you with Benjamin, and he got paranoid. He wanted me to try and overthrow everything from within, or something. That's why I went up to you at that concert."

I nodded. I had figured it had been more than just a co incidence that let me meet Becky. After that story, however, I was having a pretty hard time being mad at her for it.

"You were just trying to get rid of the monsters." I said. "It's understandable."

…

"Um, excuse me? Do you guys know where the nearest Chinese place is?" A girl with a round face, pixie length sandy blonde hair, and green eyes asked us. We had left Emily's hotel, and we were wasting time in a Starbucks, squished together in a booth. I looked up at the girl curiously, trying to place a name to her face even though I was almost positive I had never seen her.

"Well, the _nearest _one is just down the street, but you don't want to go there." Becky said, smiling at the girl.

"I don't?" She asked, smiling.

"Of course not. You want the place across town. Sort of a hike if you don't have a ride, but completely worth it." Becky assured her. The girl laughed.

"I guess I'll be longer getting dinner than I thought." She said, still smiling. "I'm Missy, by the way. I moved here last week and so far all I've seen is old people. It's good to know there are at least three people my age here."

We introduced ourselves, and Missy thanked us again before leaving.

I watched her leave intently, even as Benjamin launched a surprise tickle attack on Emily. I was still trying to place her, this complete stranger.

…

"I know her from somewhere, I _know _I do." I said, mostly to myself. It was just me and Benjamin now, in my room because my mom wasn't home.

"We could be making out right now." Benjamin said. "I'm just saying, we could be, and we're not, and I'm not sure why."

"Don't your people say _snogging?" _I asked distractedly. Benjamin snorted.

"I would _never." _

"I need to figure out where I know her from, this is killing me." I said determinedly, still studiously ignoring my—wait for it—boyfriend. (Oh my god.)

"I think after everything with Becky today you've gotten a tad paranoid." Benjamin said carefully.

"I don't think she's going to attack me, I just think I know her. She doesn't look like a Missy, though. Did you see that too?"

"I suppose not. But Missy probably isn't her real name, anyway."

"No, I don't know any Missys." I said. "But I know her, I know her _for sure." _

"Well, do you know a Madison?" Benjamin asked. I froze and turned around slowly.

"Why?" I asked quietly.

"Missy. It's a nickname for Madison."

"Madison." I said.

_"About a week later, I was asked to come to the medical examiner's office. I wasn't sure why, but I did it anyway. The woman who led the team of examiners sat me down and said that she was sorry I had to come, but nobody else from the family was available. She said how sorry she was for our loss, that this was just a routine follow-up. She had me go through all of the features of all of the people Isabel killed that day, but when we got to Madison, she mentioned something different."_

_'Something different' with my family could mean many different things, so this was concerning._

_"Madison was pregnant when she died." Dan said._

_"And it was mine."_

And suddenly I recognized Missy's eyes.

They were Dan's.


End file.
